The Underground Game
by LeDiz
Summary: A collection of 50 vaguely unrelated stories, set in the crossover world between Sonic Underground and the games, based on the 50 Phrases prompts. 50 - This is the End. Sonic and Robotnik long since left the Underground behind. See how things changed.
1. Subdue your passion

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Subdue your passion or it will subdue you."

**DISCLAIMER**: Sonic in _Sonic Underground _is a jerk. An honest jerk, but he's cranky, mean and sullen – all while pretending to be nice, fun and carefree. In my canon it's because he doesn't really want to be there or doing what he's doing, which—considering the Sonic we know from the games—is just not who Sonic is. Talk about stifling…

* * *

"I'm not saying he's a bad guy, I'm just saying he's gonna get us all killed."

"Yo, bro, easy on the honesty."

"What? Manic, don't tell me you agree with him!"

"O'course he does. It's hard not to, when _your_ fi-on-say almost got him dipped in acid today."

"Twice."

"Twice!"

Sonia sat back with a huff, folding her arms as she looked between them, but there wasn't a whole lot she could say and they all knew it. Bartleby had almost gotten them killed today, because he just had to go back and save a priceless fur coat from auction because his 'grandmamma' had once said she 'fancied' it.

It was just hard, because she knew what it was like to want to preserve those things. It was like… a link to a life she'd lost. They just couldn't afford precious, silly things anymore. She had her brothers to make up for it, but Bartleby didn't have anything. Not even her, because she couldn't be with him and on the frontlines, because… well… because her brothers were right. Bartleby would get them killed.

"He – it's not like he does this all the time," she tried, her eyes flicking up to Sonic's hard gaze and back again. "It's just that this was important."

"It was a coat," he snapped. "Look, princess, my family was big on clothes too, but when it comes down to it, it's just excess fur. Next time he thinks something like this is important, tell him to shed it, or ship out, 'cause I ain't savin' his butt every time he wants to swan around like he's somethin' special."

"I understand that, but it's not… Sonic, you don't know what it's like," she said, and sat forward in her chair. "Growing up like we do… clothes aren't just excess fur, they're… they're a way of life. They tell you everything about a person. Having things like that coat… it's not just having nice things, it's more than that. It's about being who you are."

"It's a coat," he said again, firmer this time. "Spots, stripes, pink, blue or green, it's just fur."

She sighed, shaking her head as she stood up. "You could never understand."

"Sis'," Manic interjected, and she paused to look at him. He shrugged, gesturing at Sonic's irritable glance. "We get it. Give us some credit. You and how you look, it's the same as me and my sticks. You can't take 'em away from me and not expect me to have a bit of withdrawal. But there's a time and a place. I ain't gonna start drummin' away in the middle o' Robotropolis just 'cause I hear a slammin' beat and wanna join in."

"Well, maybe you should," she said with a sly grin. "A little earthquake to knock out a couple of bots never did anyone any harm."

"Except for the massive crater in the middle of the street," Sonic added, and she immediately lost her smile. He raised his eyebrows back at her. "You're the one who's always tellin' us to think ahead. Prioritise. And stuff."

"Prioritise?" she repeated incredulously. "You really don't understand! It's not logical; it's not about what makes strategic sense! It's about desire, and love, and self-image, and –"

"And if we always make that stuff more important than livin' to fight another day, we ain't gonna have a self to have an image of," Manic said firmly. "We're not askin' you to give it up entirely. Just make sure he—"

"And you," Sonic added coldly.

"—knows when to let stuff go," he finished.

"Ah, what is the phrase?" a new voice suddenly interrupted, and they whipped around to see Bartleby step into the room, wearing his new coat and stroking it thoughtfully. "'Subdue your passion, or it will subdue you'… is that your meaning, my dear friends?"

Manic blinked rapidly, not following, but Sonic grimaced. "Only reason I ain't guzzlin' chilli dogs at five hundred miles an hour is 'cause I know it'll slow me down."

"Indeed. A most unfortunate consequence," he said dryly, and Sonic rolled his eyes at Manic, who shrugged. Bartleby continued regardless. "I will take your counsel under direct consideration. But at present, I believe the risk _well worth_ the pay-off."

Manic twitched as his acid-singed leg throbbed in remembered pain, and Sonia groaned. "Bartleby…!"

"Yes, my dear Sonia?"

"I can't take it," Sonic said, standing up. "I gotta get outta here."

"Oh, I do hope it wasn't something _I_ said?" Bartleby asked, and turned to follow as Sonic stalked out of the room. He was mostly ignored, which, of course, he couldn't bear. He snatched Sonic's arm, but quickly pulled back at the look it earned him. "Oh, come, Sonic. I am so grateful for your assistance today. Please tell me how I might make you up for it!"

"Listen, Bartlebreath, the only way you… what?" he asked, suddenly noticing Bartleby's smirk. "What're you smilin' at?"

"Chilli dogs," he said, as if that were the answer to everything.

Sonic just frowned back. "Unless you're offerin', I'm not followin'."

"Oh please, Sonic. Since we are so nearly brothers—"

"You are not my brother," he growled, but Bartleby just continued over the top of him.

"—we should be honest with one another! Tell me your true passion, and in recompense for your actions today, I shall give it to you."

He snorted despite himself, looking back toward the room he could see his siblings peering out of, probably making sure he didn't slug Mr. High and Mighty. Worry warts. "And what makes you think I've got one?" he asked, looking back with a raised eyebrow. "You know me: the barbarian. I love me some bot-smashing."

"Mmhm…?"

"No, seriously, that's it," he said lightly. "I'm doin' what I love every day. Kickin' 'Botnik butt and savin' damsels in distress. Real hero stuff. S'what I live for."

Bartleby just continued smirking at him in silence, the same darn way he did when Sonia got that stupid debutante invitation. He glanced back at the doorway, then away, folding his arms and tapping his foot impatiently. Bartleby just kept waiting. For a very long minute.

"I haven't got time for this," he muttered finally, and sped past him, out of Bartleby's safe house and up the nearest building until he could stand on the top antennae, gazing out over the city, and the great wide world far beyond.

But until Robotropolis was free, and his family could take the throne again… he sighed and ignored the wind, staying where he was for now.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	2. Step On It!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Step on it!"

**DISCLAIMER**: Question for you, people – does anyone else find it strange that not only does Sonic know how to drive, but of the three siblings, he seems to be the best at it? I mean… even in the games, like the racing games… you just… I mean… why?

* * *

Manic often asked how Sonic had learnt… well… everything he knew how to do. Driving, snowboarding, skiing, how to throw, how to catch, how to read schematics… But the truth was, he didn't _learn_ much of it.

Instead, Sonic picked up most of his skills the same way: making the choice between death and the slim possibility of life. He never would have learnt to drive if he, Cyrus and Trevor hadn't been on the run from SWATbots when they were nine. Sonic hadn't developed a lot of strength yet, and could barely carry one person at a time, but they'd only just narrowly escaped the last SWATbot, and Trevor's leg was now dislocated for the trouble.

"Just leave me behind!" he gasped, but Sonic glared at him as Cyrus struggled to open the doors they'd just banged into.

"No way, Trev'. Sonic the Hedgehog leaves no man behind – or mouse, for that matter!" he added, then growled and shoved Cyrus out of the way. "Let me –" He spindashed into the door, and it exploded open.

"Well, I guess you could do that, too," Cyrus said dazedly, before turning back to help Trevor across the threshold. He grinned when he realised they'd just stumbled across a hangar, and pointed at one of the strange jeeps some SWATbots drove. "Look! We can take that!"

"What? Since when can you drive?" demanded Sonic, but Cyrus just frowned back.

"I can't… but you can, right?"

"Why would _I_ need to know how to _drive_?"

"But you're Uncle Chuck's boy!" he cried, as if that immediately qualified Sonic to know everything.

"And you're Ryan Lion's kid!" he shot back, because Ryan and Chuck were pretty much on par when it came to that whole knowing-everything thing.

"Guys!" Trevor groaned, used to their arguments and in too much pain to deal with them right now. "Let's just find another way out and yell at each other later."

"We can do both at the same ti-" Sonic cut himself off with a yelp as a laser blast exploded at his feet. "Okay, scratch that. You two take cover while I buy you some time."

Cyrus and Trevor started to nod, before what had seemed like wall panels opened all around the room, suddenly revealing a hundred SWATbots and laser cannons, all pointed or moving toward them.

"Oh… boy," Sonic said, and then snatched Trevor out of Cyrus' grip. "_Plan D_!"

"What's Plan D?" Cyrus cried, while Sonic dashed over to the jeep and bundled Trevor into the back.

Sonic reappeared in front of him just as the lasers began to fire. "Plan A – I learn how to drive," he said breathlessly, then grabbed Cyrus and ran back to the jeep. He literally threw him in the passenger seat, and all three of them screamed as the lasers began firing down around them. But Sonic forced himself to look at what he'd seated himself behind. "These things use – keys! Here's a key. Okay, okay, um –"

"Drive, Sonic, drive," Cyrus said, thumping his fist on the back of Sonic's seat. "Go, go, go, please go."

He turned the key, and miraculously, it worked. He slammed his foot down on one of the pedals, and the engine roared, but the car didn't go anywhere. He cried out, staring at the dash. "What's wrong with it? Why won't it go?"

"The brake's on!" Trevor cried, and leaned over to slam the brake lever down. The engine squealed, but still didn't move.

"Now what?"

"Sonic! Sonic, step on it!" Cyrus wailed, as their windscreen melted right in front of him. "Go, go, go!"

Trevor frantically pointed at the transmission. "The gear! Put it in drive!"

"What? Oh, right, yeah, I –" He pulled the stick down to 'D', and then all three boys screamed again as the jeep suddenly surged forward, shoving them all back against the seats as they careened right for a wall. Sonic yanked the wheel left, and the car spun, but they didn't crash. As they zoomed for another wall, the lasers that had been aimed for them hit the first wall, making a large hole to the outside. Sonic struggled to keep the car going straight and not headed for a wall, but Cyrus was slamming his fist against Sonic's arm.

"The hole! Drive through the hole in the wall!"

"How?"

"Aim for it!"

"HOW?" He yanked the wheel again, harder this time, and they all yelled as the jeep went up on two wheels, but they all leaned in the oher direction, and after a few terrifying seconds it hit all fours again, now facing the hole in the wall. A laser shot a hole in the jeep door by Sonic's knee and he slammed the pedal down again.

There was a horrible screech as Sonic just barely managed to get them through the hole and not smash into the wall, but then they were suddenly driving along one of the huge, rubber pipes that Sonic had always assumed sent power into the castle, and it was round and surprisingly narrow, and he got the distinct impression the tires didn't like driving on rubber. But with lightning reflexes, Cyrus still punching his arm and Trevor screaming while the SWATbots fired motivating lasers, he managed to get them down the pipe and onto the road, where it was more a matter of not running over people that moved.

After that first lesson, driving came pretty easily, actually.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	3. You are Insane

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"You are Insane."

**DISCLAIMER**: It's rather fitting, I think, that after I challenge myself, ffdn immediately gives me errors to say I can't edit a story. I have found out how to upload – change the word 'property' to 'content', but it means the summary is stuck. I'm less than pleased, but whatever. In other news: Knuckles~! This is kind of a rewrite of part of "Wrong or Right" (me now having finished Sonic 3 and Knuckles, rather than just Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles and knowing Tails is _actually_ _along for the ride_) but as always, feel no need to read that.

* * *

Knuckles watched quietly as Hyper Sonic set the Master Emerald back on its dias and then floated back to drop down beside him. The flashing colours faded with the stars, until it was just ordinary Sonic the Hedgehog standing beside him, the two of them watching the gem in silence.

"Where's your sidekick?" Knuckles found himself asking, and Sonic shrugged.

"With the plane."

"Huh." He paused, then cocked an eyebrow at him. "Where's the plane?"

"With Tails."

"You don't actually know, do you?"

"Nope. Haven't seen him since he brought me back here," he said, and then stretched his arms up over his head with a yawn. "Man! Feels like I haven't slept in mondo long! I am so catchin' me some z's when I hit surface."

"And how're you gonna do that if you don't know where your plane is?" he asked, but Sonic just shrugged and turned away, beginning the walk back out of the chamber.

"Jump."

"You're crazy," he said, but he smiled despite himself, following the hedgehog out. They walked in silence until they reached the edge, where Sonic pulled out the seven super emeralds and raised them high above himself. They both watched the emeralds for a second, before he let them go, and their power vanished into whatever world they came from. Then he released the chaos emeralds and sent them into the ether as well.

Knuckles frowned at him. "You know they would've made the jump a whole lot less of a deal."

"Yeah, but they got better places to be," he said, then turned to face Knuckles properly. "An' so do I! Was slammin' getting to know you, buddy."

"When we weren't trying to kill each other," he pointed out, and Sonic grinned.

"Me? You were the one gunning for my head!"

"Tch! You deserved it! I thought you were trying to destroy my island!"

"You keep sellin' but I ain't buying!" he sang, but left it there, his gaze slipping back toward the surface. "And it's why I've gotta go. I'm sick of stumblin' over Buttnik wherever I go. I'm takin' the fight back to him this time."

"Back to him?"

"Well, back to his base city, yeah," he said, and gestured toward the horizon. "Robotropolis. I left there ages ago, thinkin' I could get away. But I can't. So I'm done runnin' away. I'm gonna run _to_."

He frowned deeper, tilting his head back. "And… what? Take him on all by yourself? All his robots? His crazy machines? All of that in his hometown and you're going up with just you and no emeralds?"

"Yup," he said defiantly. "And I'm gonna win, too."

"You are insane," he said, but still held out his fist to bump. "Good luck, True Blue."

"No problemo, Rad Red. I'll be done before next breakfast!"

He crouched, and Knuckles flinched, snatching his arm before he could leap away. "Whoa, what about your friend? You're not gonna leave him behind too, are you?"

Sonic hesitated, then grimaced and stood up straight again. He paused, looking between the ground far below and the Marble zone behind. There was something a little weird in his eyes as he did, but when he looked back he was firm. "This ain't the same as what I've been doin' up here. It's not me fightin' the good fight against a bunch of badniks, this is… this is an empire that he's had for ten years."

Thinking back over the damage Robotnik had caused in only a few weeks—only a few days, in some areas—and all the cleanup he would still have to do, Knuckles swallowed hard, his eyes flicking down to the surface. "Oh…"

"It's less of an adventure and more of a… y'know… war thing," he said, and took a deep breath before smiling again. "So I don't really want the kid gettin' involved. Don't tell him you know where I am, okay?"

He nodded, and this time extended his open hand. Sonic hesitated one last time, then shook it, before quickly letting go and taking a few steps back. "See you on the flipside, Knucklehead!"

"Jerk," he said, and watched as he took a few running steps Knuckles could barely see and then dove off the island, toward the snow-covered mountains below.

One hedgehog against an empire. Maybe backed up by a resistance, if he could get one, but still… an _empire_.

"You really are insane," he muttered, and wished he could go too.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	4. Where was Life

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

"Where was life when it had a meaning?"

**DISCLAIMER**: The main problem with my little canon is that in Underground, the siblings are so co-dependent. I really don't know how they'd cope without Sonic. Which is a plot for a later story that may never be written, _but the point remains_.

* * *

At eleven, Manic knew who he was.

A street rat, a thief, and a hacker. A good one, too. He could snatch from the leader of the thieves' guild without notice. He would never have the high life like an aristocrat, but he had _his_ life.

At twelve, he met his blood siblings and everything changed. His foster family was robotocised. He could never go back to thieving. He was told he was supposed to be a prince, a leader, a – a – a _royal_. And he was supposed to act like it.

At thirteen, he helped tear down Robotnik's empire and create a new one, built on democracy and fairness. He became a hero, someone people from all walks of life could talk to and get to know. The voice of the people.

At fourteen, he ran out of energy to care.

* * *

Sonia heaved a dramatic sigh as she stepped through the door, and flicked her hair out of her eyes. "Thank goodness that's done! I swear, if I have to hear one more sob story about how the aristocrats can't afford to feed the orphans, I am going super-spin on their tails!"

On the other side of the room, slumped in a window seat and staring out across the city, Manic didn't even glance around. He ignored his sister's continued monologue as she crossed the room, and didn't react when she sat down beside him. His eyes stayed on the horizon, watching something she couldn't see.

After a few minutes, she even noticed, and stared at him for a second before clicking her fingers beneath his nose. "Manic. Manic, are you in there? Hello! Mobius to Manic!"

He flicked her hand away without looking. "What?"

"What's wrong? What are you looking at?"

"Nothin'."

"Yeah, right!" she said, and pulled her feet up so she could face him. "Come on, out with it! What's the matter?"

"Like I said: nothing. Just… it kinda hit me that it's been a year since we beat Buttnik," he said blankly, and she grinned.

"No kidding! Mother's been planning the celebration for weeks! It'll be a real party on Friday night – you and me are going to rock out!" she said proudly, but her smile faded when Manic didn't even blink, let alone smile back. She hesitated, then leaned forward, folding her hands over her ankles. "Are you thinking about Sonic?"

"Kinda. I did kinda like, figure he'd be back by now," he said quietly, but shook his head and tapped the glass. "It's more I just… y'know, like… I just figured we'd've done more by now. Gotten further in cleaning the place up."

"Oh," she said, sitting back again. "That."

"I mean, what've we done, y'know? Cleaned up a few parks, gotten some kids some homes, brought music back –"

"We made it safe to walk the streets alone again," she said quietly. "We've cleaned things up enough that the sun shines through the clouds sometimes. We've done a lot, Manic. I know it's hard to see, but we really have."

He finally looked around at her, and she licked her lips at the look on his face, then sighed. "Robotnik had thirteen years and a workforce that never had to sleep. We've had one year and a bunch of people that just want to live their own lives."

"And even more that just want it back the way it was," he muttered. "The aristocrats, the thieves… All I ever hear these days is how Robotnik may have been a tyrant, but at least his city worked. Or – or how Mom's all about the art or whatever. It's like they don't want us here!"

She sat back, folding her arms over her chest. "The aristocrats are just complaining now because they can. They don't actually mind. And the thieves liked the chaos of Robotnik's reign because it meant no one noticed them. When was the last time you talked to the middle classes? You know, the ones who actually had it bad during the tyranny?"

"But it's not just that!" he cried suddenly, shooting to his feet. "It's – I'm – I'm _bored_! All I ever do is _talk_ to people, Sonia! Like that makes any difference. I just stand around and talk and listen to people complain, and –"

"Manic, it's our job to deal with complaints. That's what royalty _does_." She huffed a breath, smiling despite herself. "What, did you think it would be all sitting around, waving sceptres and playing music?"

"No, but… I dunno, I just like, I dunno, thought it'd be…" He waved his arms, gesturing to everything and nothing in the same movement. "I thought we'd make some kind've difference. Like, immediately. Y'know, like… like Sonic used to do."

"Yeah, well, Sonic's not here. And we're not Sonic," she pointed out, her smile gaining a strained edge until she managed to forget him again. "If you're bored, then maybe find something else to do. I'm good at talking to people – why don't you do something more suited to you? There's heaps of stuff that needs doing, and it could all use some royal motivation, so…"

"Tch, yeah, right, like I'm good at anything but drumming and stealing," he muttered, stalking back to the window.

He stared out at it for a long few minutes, and Sonia reached up to gently touch his shoulder. "You're more than a thief, Manic. Think about it. Where was life when it had a meaning, for you? When did you feel like you were doing good?"

When Sonic was pushing him on, he thought, but then sighed and forced himself to think it through. When had he ever felt like he was getting something done, in the resistance?

It took him a long few seconds, but eventually he sighed and said, "When I was breaking locks. Hacking. Screwing with Buttnik's stuff."

"There you go!" she said cheerfully, and he stared at her. She just grinned and gestured to his pack, still full of thieves' tools and worn out of habit. "Cyrus could definitely use the help on the reconstruction effort. And at the moment, half of that is finding out how to break down Robotnik's machines and make them useful."

He blinked again, then looked back up at the window, raising his eyebrows thoughtfully. "You… you think?"

"I know," she said, and reached out to pull him into a hug before holding him at arms' length. "It's like Mother said, Manic. We each have to find our own way. And I know you'll find yours."

He smiled weakly, and they both turned to look out the window. He wasn't sure he knew who he was yet, but… but maybe this was a start.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	5. My Outrage will be the Death of me

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

"My outrage will be the death of me"

**DISCLAIMER**: I am just going to go ahead and say it, damn the consequences: I liked Sleet. I was always a little disappointed when he had episodes that made him _evil_, rather than just pragmatic. Poor Sleet.

Sleet liked to think of himself as a complicated person, but the only one who believed him—including himself—was Dingo. In point of fact, he was really a very, very simple person.

He liked money. He hated to lose. Up until about six months ago, he had never given a flying banana about who was in charge or what that meant for the grander scheme because he lived quite happily on the fringes of the law, so who cared? Robotnik could be in charge, Aleena could come back, the Overlanders could come in and make Mobius part of their little empire; he wouldn't care because it didn't matter.

But that all changed when Robotnik decided to employ him.

Now, he still liked money, but he barely got any. He still hated to lose, but it happened all the time. And now, all he ever did was look forward to the day when he could tear down those in power and _eat_ them.

He'd never had quite this craving for flesh before. It wasn't normal, and he admitted that. But sometimes he'd just look at Robotnik and think 'all that fat would make for wonderful crackling'. And hedgehogs. Take off the spines and they're practically pork.

He'd never really thought of himself as evil, before, either. He'd been a bounty hunter, and that meant he was on the good guys' side as often as the bad. He just went where the money took him.

But now… now that he spent every single day being trodden on by Robotnik and humiliated by three insignificant little hedgehogs… now he wanted to kill them, strip the flesh from their bones, rule the world, and laugh maniacally from a tower somewhere. And he had the feeling that made him a little evil.

It was a strange position to be in. Because he remembered the stories from his childhood where evil never triumphed in the end. And he believed them. In the end, evil just got you hurt—if not dead, broke, and usually lying in a ditch, covered in dirt and less savoury elements…

But he lived in a world where Robotnik had triumphed. Triumphed for twelve years so far. Didn't that imply that evil _had_ won out?

He didn't like being evil. It was undignified. But he just hated to lose—the war if never the fight these days—and the ultimate loss would always be death, so right now, evil was his only option.

Sonic peered at him from behind the glass cage they'd dropped on him, tilting his head like he was amused and not about to be gassed to high heaven. "So, Sleet. This it? You gonna give me to Buttnik like a good little lap… are you a dog or a wolf?"

"Coyote," he said absently, checking his gun. Guns were dignified. Much better than technomagic, and so he savoured the chances he got to use them.

"A good lap-coyote?"

Sleet tried not to look at him or grind his teeth or do any of the hundred violent things that were springing to mind. He knew what Sonic was doing – it was the same thing he did every time. Distract, dehabilitate, and destroy. But not this time! No, this time, Sleet would just ignore him. And so Sonic would stay stuck in the bullet-proof glass cage like a normal prisoner, and Sleet, for once in his indentured life, would win.

"I only ask 'cause we've done this dance before, Sleet. It's gettin' kinda old. I mean, you try and catch me, I let you so you focus on me for a few hours, rather than my sibs, who're way busy blowin' up that command tower on the other side of the city –"

"What!"

No. No, no, no, that was not part of this! Sonic had been on a solo mission, attacking Robotnik's fleet! Their intelligence hadn't said anything about –

Sonic just smirked, all evil innocence. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to tell you that," he said, then pulled back his glove to check his watch. "Not for another ten seconds, anyway."

"No. No, no, no…!" he moaned, rushing over to the security station. Sure enough, the moment he got the tower on the monitors, a loud bang jarred the camera, which tracked several small explosions across the tower, and then its slow crumble. "No, no, no, no, that – Robotnik! He's going to kill me!"

"Hm. Sucks to be you," Sonic agreed calmly, and Sleet spun around to glare at him, lifting the gun to point directly between his eyes.

"No! I still have you."

"Do you?" he asked, not even flinching at the gun. "I mean, like I was saying: we've done this before. We both know I'm gonna get outta here, you're gonna have to go back to Buttnik and tell him you not only got his command tower blown up, but you let me escape, too. That's just the way this dance goes."

"Not this time! That whole cage is designed to stop not_ only_ your superspin, but the friction from your shoes, _and_ I've taken your medallion away!" he crowed. "You can't get out! You _won't_ get out! I may have lost the control tower, but I still have you!"

Sonic just continued smiling. "Dude, seriously. Medallion don't mean jack. And you're not exactly the first to come up with this whole glass cage thing. Your boss did it way better like, three years ago."

"He may have!" he cried, and tried to ignore the way his voice cracked. "But I am better than him! I will succeed where he has failed! I –"

"_Sleet_!"

"Yes sir!" he cried, before he'd even registered Robotnik as having appeared on the monitor behind him.

"What did you do to my control tower? You were supposed to be guarding that village from the Freedom Fighters!" he yelled, and Sleet turned to face him, already gesturing to Sonic's cage.

"Yes, sir, but you see, sir, I was a little preoccupied, because I –"

"Yeah, sorry, Buttnik, my bad," Sonic said, and Sleet flinched as he realised Sonic was now standing on the computer beside his hand. The hedgehog winked at him and gestured to his watch again. "Built in laser capability. Made specifically to cut through bullet- and laser-proof glass. Sorry man."

He couldn't respond. He tried, but all that came out was a grunt, pushed out between clenched teeth. Robotnik roared something incomprehensible, and Sonic turned to shake his head at the monitor.

"Jeez, doc, you gotta learn to chill out, man. I'm seriously starting to worry about your blood pressure. Take a deep breath and calm down, then say it with me: 'outrage will be the death of me'." He then grinned at Sleet, suddenly holding the medallion that had been in Sleet's hip pocket only a moment ago. "We can only hope, right?"

Again. He was losing again. Humiliated again. Sleet's arm rose without his notice and fired off six shots in quick succession, all of which Sonic easily dodged, laughing all the way out. All Sleet had managed to hit was the computer, effectively destroying it and all the security for this station's fleet systems.

As the grey haze faded, he dropped to his knees, and let his head fall forward until it hit the sparking computer station."I can only hope," he mumbled, thumping the back of his neck with the still smoking laser gun, "_my_ outrage will be the death of me."

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	6. Oh, that is unbelievably pathetic!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Oh, that is unbelievably pathetic!"

**DISCLAIMER**: You know that little disclaimer I put at the bottom, about how I don't have to like these things? Yeah. It's been sitting on my hard drive for aaaaages, and I've decided to say screw it. It gets it out of my unfinished StH fic file.

**A REAL DISCLAIMER**: Sonic and Sonia quote a poem in this, which I nabbed from the Archie Knuckles the Echidna comics. (Man I loved those comics) It was from a Dark Legion arc, but I do know what it is parodying (without humour). Despite the funny animals, it is meant with respect.

* * *

When he finally started talking about more than what they strictly needed to know, Sonic called himself impatient. Manic agreed – justified it by asking whether Sonic thought at the same speed he moved, which he said he kind of did. But even so, he said, he was still impatient, and it was probably his biggest flaw.

Sonia disagreed – Sonic's biggest flaw was that arrogance of his, mixed with whatever hero complex he had that meant he was the only one allowed to get hurt. Besides, when it came to the important things, Sonic was eternally patient.

For example, it took two weeks and three major battles before he lost patience with her aristocracy.

"Just what the heck is wrong with you?" he yelled, slamming the plate he'd just emptied onto the bench. If it had been anything but plastic, it would have broken. "Where the heck do you think you are?"

She scowled, not quite getting the situation even as Manic stood up and started moving toward them, hands up and out defensively. She just flicked her hair. "In a grubby, run-down stinkhole with no real furniture and definitely no class. But that's no reason we should have to eat…" She pushed her plate, which still held the stringy beef and sodden vegetables they'd been served, away, still untouched, "offal."

"Listen, Princess –" he snarled, and she raised an eyebrow at how insulting he made the word sound.

"Well, according to you, yes. And what about that, anyway? If we're supposedly the royal family that these people—" she flicked another hand toward the doorway, through which a collection of Freedom Fighters could be heard still making weapons, "—are trying to get back on the throne, shouldn't we be treated a little better than the common rubble?"

"What exactly is it you want?" he demanded. "Gold plates, silver spoons?"

"Hey, come on now, bro," Manic interjected with a forced laugh. "She's just working off a little steam. Let it go, huh?"

"Or maybe you'd like someone to pick up after you, wash your clothes, do your hair," Sonic continued acidly. "How about a foot massage?"

She folded her arms and stuck her nose in the air. "I'm not asking to be treated any differently to anyone else. I'd just like a little dignity, that's all."

"Dignity," Sonic repeated. "You want dignity."

"That's all I'm asking for."

"Right," he said, and then suddenly he was standing behind her, yanking back her chair with all the strength it was easy to forget he had. Then he'd snatched her wrist and she had the sense to shield her eyes before they blasted off, Manic's shout of objection almost lost in the wind.

The next thing she knew, they were standing on the darkest, dirtiest street corner she'd ever seen, beside a pile of garbage that didn't smell nearly as bad as it should. But Sonic didn't look around; he just let her go and stepped in close, so all she could see was his glare.

"I'll be back in two hours. You go ahead and talk to me about dignity then."

Then he disappeared, and she scoffed. "He's giving me a time out? Oh, that is unbelievably pathetic!"

She turned on her heel and started heading down the street. "I know he says he's our brother, but no one ever said he was my elder brother – and even so, that doesn't give him the right to act like my father or something. Male posturing is _so_ unattractive…"

She made it all the way down the street without seeing anyone, but then she caught some movement out of the corner of her eye and stared. It was two young boys, digging through a trash heap. One of them noticed her in much the same way and gave her a long, cool once over.

"Hey," he said, and nudged his friend. Sonia stiffened, an inbred fear of thieving street urchins making her cautious. The friend looked around, took in her expensive clothes, then rolled his eyes and went back to the trash.

"Some bot designed to take out Uncle Chuck or somethin'," he said lazily. "Ignore it. I'm sure I saw some chicken get dumped here."

"Oh my gosh!" she cried, and rushed forward to grab his arm. "You aren't going through there for food, are you?"

"Of course we are," the first boy said, staring at her.

"Don't be ridiculous, that would make you sick!" She took his arm as well and began pulling them away. "Here, come on, I'll get you something to eat."

"No offence, miss, but even if you're not a robot, get lost," the second boy snapped, and yanked his arm away. "We don't need the trap or the pity."

"And if it is a trap," the first boy said, giving her another once over, "tell Robotnik to at least try to make it look good next time. Like we're going to believe someone like you comes into our side of town for good will."

The boys looked at each other, then laughed at the idea, and she pulled her hands back against her chest, suddenly reminded of Sonic and Manic.

"S-still," she said, "there are better ways to get food. W-why don't you steal it or something?"

They frowned at her, then looked at each other.

"C'mon, Leaf," the second boy said. "This is slim pickings anyways."

"But what about the chicken?" the first asked.

"I've lost my appetite," he said, and led the way past her.

It wasn't the last, or even the most telling scene she saw. Over the next hour, she caught glimpses or watched full conversations between twos or threes. People scavenging for food or clothing, doing truly disgusting work for a few mobiums, even one girl, who had lost her leg somehow, seriously debating with her friend whether she should sell her home to pay for a prosthetic or just kill herself. In the end, her friend convinced her to do neither, because 'Uncle Chuck's boy' was back in town, and they just had to wait for him to find out. Then, they knew, things would be okay.

Uncle Chuck and his boy were a common theme in conversation, she noted dully as she watched the girl be wheeled away. That was about as far as she got before the tears beat her and she sank down against the wall, curling in on herself.

She wasn't sure how long passed before she felt someone warm, with short brittle fur and little clothing sit down beside her. She clenched her hands against her sides and glared at nothing. "Here to gloat, Sonic?"

"Wrong on both counts, sis'," Manic replied, and she glanced up to make sure it was just him, then went back to her ball. He let her have it for a few seconds before speaking again. "First time on the outskirts, huh? It's a weird area, gotta say. Feral never let me come out here, even though there are some real good pickin's. They don't lock their doors round here. But Feral always said it wasn't worth the trouble. I'm thinkin' maybe it's Resistance territory."

"I just don't understand," she whispered. "They're starving – dying. But they won't go and get jobs, or take what they need. I thought everyone who lived like this –"

"Nah. They're like Sonic," he said, shrugging. "Workin' class, man. Labourers. Problem is, labouring gets done by Buttnik's bots these days. So this lot are out of work, unless they can get it from the paper pushers."

"The aristocrats?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Middle class. Now there's good pickings. Rich enough to afford good quality but too poor for good security." He rolled his eyes up to the sky with a nostalgic smile. "It's a sweet deal."

She slowly looked up, brow furrowing. "W- I don't get it. You're such a good person, but you steal everything that isn't nailed down. Sonic would never steal, but he's such –"

"Hey, watch the judgement, sis'. Thievin's as good a livin' as any other, s'long as you don't get caught," he said, then smiled. "It's a game, y'dig? We try and nab what we can, people like Sonic try to stop us. We give up what we can't have and they don't complain when we get away with it."

"So why don't these people do it?" she asked, and Manic followed her gesture around the streets.

"Dunno. Totally different world to mine. Thieves, y'know, we're every Mobian for himself. Look after number one and trust everyone else to do the same," he said, and Sonia lowered her head again. Aristocrats would never admit it so freely, but if she was honest… Manic either didn't notice her look or ignored it. "These guys, though… these guys act like stealin's the worst thing you could do. Like we're actually takin' food outta someone's mouth. Really bugs me, y'know?"

"It's because we work hard," Sonic's hard voice suddenly said, and they flinched, then leaned over to look up and see him lounging in a window sill above them. He didn't look around, his arms folded as he frowned at something down the street. "Everyone works hard to get what they have – even the aristocrats. Their money came from somewhere – once, someone worked hard to get that money. None of us are gonna dishonour those people by takin' what they earned."

"Honour?" Sonia repeated quietly, and he nodded.

"Honour. Dignity. We got our own. Thieves don't kill, Aristocrats live high class, and we don't steal. What's dignified to one person ain't for anyone else. Like, I think Bartleby's really disgusting, living and acting the way he does. You whinin' about our food and how we live really ticks me off. But that's dignified to you, so whatever."

"But these people –" she said, scrambling to her feet. "These people are dying and they don't even care!"

He just gave her a hard look. "This _world_ is dying, Sonia. We're just the first to go."

"Then you should change how you live," she snapped. "Get better jobs – change how you think!"

"You went to school. You'd know this," he said, and swung his feet off the windowsill to look at her front on. "First, they came for the squirrels. But I did not speak up because I was not a squirrel."

She stiffened, then scowled, her shoulders rising. "That has nothing to do with –"

"It has everything to do with it, Princess!" he yelled, then shoved off the windowsill and into her face. "Make up your mind. Either you're one of Orc's all-powerful Council of Four, gonna fight the good fight and beat him, or you're just another aristocrat, crying because one of your toys got taken away! If you don't want to fight, just say the word – you've got other options!"

"I am not going to be robotocised!" she snapped back, and he kept glaring.

"That's not it. You're female and royalty and Robotnik wants to be king."

He caught her hand before she even knew she'd swung a fist, and they just glared at each other for a long few minutes.

"You keep saying I'm your sister," she snarled. "The Oracle said we can't use our powers unless we work together."

"I fought before you and music and I can do it again," he growled back. "I don't want to. I love you, Sonia, I don't know why, but I do. But if you want to give up, and you think you'd be happier with that life, I'll give it to you. Just don't ask me to smile when I do it."

There was an even longer pause, until Sonic dropped her hand and stepped back. "I'm not wantin' to force either of you into lives you don't want. So either of you want out, you say the word and I'll get you out. But I don't want to lose you. It's your call. Think on it. I've got a legacy to keep up."

And then he was gone again, a blue blur they could almost forget they saw.

Manic stepped up beside her with a frown. "He's not a squirrel?"

"It's a quote," she said quietly. "Before the Hedgehog Royal line, there was a big civil war where the mixebreeds tried to take over the kingdom. They claimed that to stick to one species was like incest, and therefore an abomination. This was back when medicine was undeveloped, so there was a lot of sickness, and so it was easy to understand where they were coming from. Problem was, they tried to wipe out the abominations with violence and forced interbreeding."

"Forced… oh… dude!"

"Yeah. But that's not what Sonic's talking about. He's talking about how they did it – they started by wiping out one species at a time. First the squirrels, because they were the royal family that honestly did have a habit of marrying their cousins to keep the royal blood pure. Then the chipmunks, because they were closely related, genetics wise. Then the dogs, because they were a big part of the royal guard and were fighting back."

"Lemme guess," he said, still looking disgusted over the 'forced interbreeding'. "No one said anything because they figured they were safe."

"Exactly. They were stopped, eventually, because our ancestor, Revalt the Hedgehog, took a stand and begged the humans for help."

"I still don't get what Sonic meant."

"Just because you don't think it could happen to you doesn't mean it won't," she said wearily. "The full quote ends in 'and then they came for me, and there was nobody left to speak up'. It was the poem that inspired Revalt into action."

"Dude… heavy." He paused, then offered a weak grin. "Wouldn't've thought he'd know somethin' like that."

"No, he surprises me sometimes," she agreed, then sighed and turned around. "Alright. Do you know the way back to the safe house? I have a dinner waiting for me."

"Not too good for it anymore?" he asked wryly, taking her hand to show he didn't mean any insult.

She just smiled back. "No… I'm not that pathetic."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

* * *

**In happier news, next up:** Tails and Sonic in "The Treasure is your Enemy"...!


	7. The Treasure is your Enemy

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"The Treasure is your Enemy"

**DISCLAIMER**: A short one, but a fun one. The first of the silly ones that are the reason this fic is just 'General' rather than ANGST. Can I just say I love the banter in Sonic Colours? I love the real best friend vibe! It was so squee-worthy! Also, this is inspired by everyone who's ever played a game and just gone for items and powerups _because they can_.

* * *

"I think you're developing kleptomania."

The comment is so random that Sonic actually stops, mid-dash, to look at him. Tails just grins back with his eyebrows raised, so Sonic actually turns to meet his look. "Oh, you think so?"

"Mmhm," he says, and points behind him, to the ring capsule Sonic was about to risk his neck for. GUN has put it on a platform high above the highway, just off to the left so that if Sonic falls when he goes for it, he'll go straight into the ocean. He knows GUN has put it there—or at least allowed it to remain there—because they monitor and control all of the rather limited number of rings in the city.

Sometimes Tails suspects GUN is trying to kill Sonic, in a passive-aggressive sort of way, but really Sonic brings it on himself, so… y'know.

"How is it kleptomania?" Sonic asks as he looks back at Tails. "Rings are a natural by-product of Chaos that most people are too scared to touch. The capsules are contained energy. They don't belong to anyone."

"They do when they're in someone's building," he points out, and Sonic huffs.

"You know, I think I liked you better when you didn't talk back."

Tails just snickers. The year he spent on his own did wonders for his confidence, and he knows Sonic actually enjoys the banter, so it's fun to pick at him. "You're a kleptomaniac. You can't help but take every ring you see."

"I know a kleptomaniac, and I am not nearly as bad as him," he says, lifting a finger to point. "I could totally not go for that capsule. Any time I wanted."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really," he says, and turns on his heel to stride past it. Tails follows with an evil grin but says nothing until two minutes later, when they're two hundred kilometres away and Sonic grinds _up_ the side of a building just to get to a ring capsule. That's when he officially becomes fair game.

"Klepto!" Tails sings, and Sonic trips just after claiming the capsule, unable to keep his feet because he's burst out laughing.

"I am not a klepto, you brat!" he cackles, taking a half-hearted swing at him, but Tails just dances back, still giggling.

"You are, you are! Sonic… Sonic, listen to me," he says, jumping into the air to avoid Sonic's swipes. "Sonic, the treasure is your enemy. You need to resist the temptation."

"Resist the temptation to ring your fluffy neck – get back here!" he yells, but Tails is already flying away.

"Come on, Sonic, the Chaos Emerald's waiting! It's not gonna find itself!"

"Oh, you better fly fast, I'm so gonna beat you to it, you little –"

"Klepto!" they cry in unison, and laugh as they head back down the building, into the city once more.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	8. I did what I had to do

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"I did what I had to do."

**DISCLAIMER**: Shadow… you know, I never thought I'd enjoy writing him. And I don't. But I find him _easy_ to write. He's just… heavy. And he allows Sega Sonic some room to be angry. With Underground!Sonic as the backstory for this, I appreciate that. A lot.

* * *

Sonic was the fastest thing alive.

He could circe the globe in thirty minutes, if he felt like it.

But not even he could be two places at once.

When the Xorda came after Shadow again, Sonic was already chasing Eggman through the planet's core to make sure he didn't steal its energy. He didn't even know anything was happening until two days into the attack, when he finally clambered out of the ground, yawned, stretched, and saw the horizon filled with alien battleships.

"Shadow," he breathed, and started sprinting for Westopolis.

Ten minutes later, he found Shadow on his hill, and for a moment, laughed in relief. His not-friend was okay, standing calm as you please with his arms folded and his usual I-don't-care-about-anything-but-it-all-annoys-me-anyway expression.

Then Sonic saw what Shadow was looking at.

"Oh gosh…"

"I did what I had to do," Shadow said calmly. "They had taken over the city."

"No… no, no, no…" he murmured, taking a few weak steps toward the cliff edge. Westopolis had always been a dark city – more concerned with saving energy for their weapons silos than keeping the streets lit. But now it was bright. Everything lit with fire, explosions crashing their way out of buildings every few seconds. "The people…"

"Most of them got out when the Xorda attacked," he said, as if that were a consolation.

"What about the rest of them?" he asked. "Tell me that city was empty when you did this."

"I didn't do this, the Xorda did. I just lit the fuse," he replied coolly.

"Was the city empty when it blew up?" he demanded.

"I don't have time for your righteousness. Fire is the best way to get rid of insect infestations."

Sonic swung around, his hand lashing out faster than even Shadow could see to snatch a fistful of fur and yank him close. "How many people are in that blaze?" he yelled. "How many people are in danger while you stand here convincing yourself you didn't kill them?"

After the second of shock wore away, Shadow gazed back at impassively. "I don't know."

Sonic swore, shoving him away hard enough to make Shadow stumble, but his arm was caught before he could go anywhere. "Let go of me," he snarled, but Shadow just narrowed his eyes.

"There are emergency rescue crews down there. There are still Xorda in their ships. You think they won't come after me in another city?"

For a moment, Sonic faultered, his eyes wide as he stared. He looked back at the city, but his muscles relaxed, and when Shadow let him go he didn't move.

"You have the emeralds?"

Sonic closed his eyes, letting out a long breath. "Yeah."

"You're coming with me," he said. It wasn't a question.

Despite himself, Sonic smiled. "Waiting for me to save your useless butt?"

"Come on," he said, and blasted off down the hill.

For a moment, Sonic was still, watching the city and listening to the screams he couldn't hear. Then he closed his eyes again, grit his teeth, and followed Shadow.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	9. Do you Really Think you can Defeat me?

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Do you really think you can defeat me?"

**DISCLAIMER**: I am writing ahead… but if there's like a scene or character or thought that you'd like explored… let me know, yeah? Could be interesting…

* * *

In the early days, Robotnik used to say it a _lot_.

"Do you really think you can defeat _me_?"

Emphasis on the 'me'. Because back then, he was a dictator and ruled a good portion of the Mobian world, which—since Mobians were so very insulated—basically meant he ruled the whole world, to them. So Sonic could kinda understand it, because… well… okay, going up against Robotnik _was_ psychotic, if he ever stopped to think about it.

Luckily, he rarely did. That way led to angst and emo and… boring.

When Sonic became the Sonic Underground, Robotnik didn't say it all that often, but when he did, it was "Do you really think you can _defeat_ me?" Emphasis on the 'defeat'.

Again, because he kinda pretty much ruled the world, but also because the Underground kinda pretty much kicked his butt every week. The important thing to note, though, was that they kept winning battles, not the war. So yeah, kinda fair. The jerk did have a tendency to keep coming back.

"Like a cockroach," Manic noted once, and Sonic was lost for a good hour, giggling inanely to himself. Mostly because he hadn't slept more than two hours in three days, but also because the best way to get rid of a cockroach was stomping, and with Robotnik that would just result in something like a trampoline and… okay, maybe it was totally because he hadn't slept in three days. It was still funny.

Just after he and Robotnik left Mobius, the ol' doc started saying it a bit more, with new emphasis.

"Do you really think _you_ can defeat me?"

Which, again, was fair, because they'd kinda realised that Sonic wasn't exactly sure what to do with Robotnik in the long run. He still tried not to think about it because of the whole soul-searching angst factor, but Robotnik kept trying to make him.

In the end, though, he met up with Tails again and somehow that helped him stop caring.

Which brought him to where he was today, leaping up falling debris to catch up to Eggman's Egg-something-or-other (it looked like a scorpion, but he'd already done that before, so that couldn't be right, could it?), which was flailing and smoking because Sonic had already pretty much whooped its exhaust.

"Is that a proper metaphor?" he wondered, just before making the final jump and landing on the machine, just in front of Eggman's cockpit. He grinned and waved. "Yo, doc! So… I'm thinking you haven't gotten yourself in over your head this time, which means this is the final battle, yeah?"

"You fool!" he shouted, slamming his fist against the controls. "Do you _really think_ you can defeat me?"

Sonic blinked once, then grinned all the wider, noting that Eggman had (possibly accidentally) sent a smoking, acid-filled tail straight for his head. "In a word?" he asked, and homing attacked the tail, spinning through it, up and around to saw through the last of the machine's engine, only to emerge through a hole in the place he'd been standing before. He took a moment to flick a bit of metal from his arm before looking at Eggman again. "Yes."

Then he jumped up in time with the engine's explosion, riding it up and out to safely land on the platform surrounding the scorpion, where Tails glanced up from his faulty gem detector with wide eyes.

"Oh, did I miss something?"

"Nah," Sonic said, calmly turning him around and shoving him up into the air. "Might want to start leaving now before the inevitable explosion though."

"Aw. I totally missed the big finish!" he groaned.

"Nah," he said again, as they began dashing through the remains of the latest Eggmanland. "There'll be another one soon enough. After all, do you really think I could actually defeat Eggman?"

Tail just snorted. "He's kinda like a cockroach that way."

This time, Sonic didn't even have lack of sleep to blame.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	10. You have some skill

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"You have some skill."

**DISCLAIMER**: Oh, Underground… Your crappy music videos stay with me even when I forget the rest of you…

* * *

When he wanted to be, Sonic was quite good with electronics. He'd learnt a lot from his uncle, and who knew where else, though Cyrus occasionally mentioned home-made hoverboards and the like. But the key phrase there was 'when he wanted to be'.

For the most part, Sonic didn't give a flying chilli dog about electronics or anything even vaguely related to them. Which was why he was sleeping while Manic did all the work to put together the bombs for their mission tonight.

Not that Manic minded too much – he was making a beat track out of Sonic's heavy breathing and the sound of the wires clicking into place, with a low whistle through his teeth and the tapping of his shoes on the floor.

It was comforting to hear Sonic breathing deeply – you knew he was actually sleeping when he didn't snore loudly and obnoxiously. And Sonic sleeping meant they really did have time to relax.

"A equals B equals C to the D-squared," he rapped under his breath, and began bobbing his head to a beat he knew would end up as a song. They didn't often do rap, because Sonic sucked at it (on purpose, Manic thought sometimes. Guitars weren't really made for hip-hop), but Manic could probably coax them into it with a good enough message. He hissed the beat through his teeth before coming up with another lyric. "We know a secret that maybe we should share. Ba-ba-ba, ba-da-ba-da-da."

He rapped the connector wires against the table in a make-shift drum beat before clipping them into place. It had been a while since they'd been able to kick back and relax. Even though he wasn't right now, it was still a slow afternoon, and after tonight they were going to take a few days off.

"We may not look like we're outta trouble," he muttered, reaching for another pile of parts. "But you can bet we're gonna pop Robotnik's bubble. Ba-ba-ba ba-da-ba-da-da."

He slapped a stick of powder a little too hard against the table, and glanced at it quickly, but went back to his song once he realised it was okay. He made a point to put down the powder though.

They didn't know where they were going in order to relax, yet. He suspected Sonia was going to drag them off to the mountains again, but Sonic had been making noises about lights, which meant one of the satellite cities. Still, Sonia usually won out about relaxing time. Manic honestly couldn't care as long as it meant he didn't have to fight a SWATbot for a few days.

"I see secrets, I see numbers, they add up to more than plunder. We ain't gonna stop just yet, but follow my math and yeah, you can bet," He paused to drum through a set with his pliers and hand, not noticing Sonic open one eye to give him an even glare before closing it again. "He's gonna fall. We're gonna win it all. We're gonna be victorious! Yeah, you can count us! It's hidden in the truth, but we will count it through: Resistance Algebra!"

"Someone so covered in ripped clothes and sharp spikes should not be such a huge nerd," Sonic commented without opening his eyes again, and Manic jumped in surprise, then laughed.

"You're just jealous you can't make learning look this cool."

"You have some skill," he said, then yawned and shifted slightly lower in his seat so his legs were entirely on the table from the knee down. "But seriously, dude: shut up. I'm trying to lose, here."

"Lose?" he repeated curiously, and Sonic smiled.

"You snooze, you lose, li'l bro."

He chuckled, going back to his bombs. "I'll try an' keep it down, bro. But you gotta respect."

"Uh huh," he yawned, already sounding halfway asleep. "Sure. Respect the skillz with a 'z'. Mmhm."

Soon enough, his breathing was deep and even again, and Manic resisted the urge to make it a base track again. But he kept bobbing his head to the beat, clipping things together so they contrasted with the bass in his mind.

He liked hanging out like this. Sonic wasn't bad company at any time, but when he was quiet and relaxed, Manic really enjoyed his brother's presence. It was comforting, in a way. Because if Sonic could let down his guard, then you knew you could too. Which was a seriously depressing thought when he really thought about it, but he tried to avoid that sort of thing.

With that in mind, he stopped paying all that much attention to the world outside their work room, but instead focussed on the sound of Sonic's breathing and the mindless actions of putting together sixteen bombs that would utterly obliterate Robotnik's newest chemical plant. He just let the good afternoon happen.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	11. You could get us both killed

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"You could get us both killed!"

**DISCLAIMER**: Okay, confession time (and hear you silent readers go "like we didn't know already"): I am not a huge Sonia fan. I think she's a massive canon-Sue and a massive hypocrite when it comes to her priorities, but… but I have to remember that she is a good person who cares about her brothers. She's just… pragmatic when it comes to anyone but herself. I must remember this. I must.

* * *

With the rain pouring down outside, offsetting the Robotropolis humidity to a comfortable level, and no missions pressing on her, it was hard not to be in a good mood. Add in the fact she had some work to do on her motorcycle and her afternoon was nearly perfect.

"Hey, sis'," Sonic greeted as he appeared behind her. She grunted in response, preoccupied with greasing a gear properly, and he sat down on a crate behind her. "I thought that thing blew up last week?"

"No, that was MatthewSix," she said absently. "This is MarciaSeven."

He scratched in front of his ear. "I thought it was MarkTwo?"

"That one fell apart just before we went to Ruhyplon."

"And three, four and five?"

"Lost in a mudslide, crushed beneath some boulders, and I think Dingo ate the combustion drive."

"Harsh," he commented, and then frowned. "Do I not pay attention?"

"Apparently not," she said, but she wasn't judging. Sonic had barely noticed when they had to get a new van last month, and even then it was only because he was the one that had to make sure it had everything they needed. Vehicles weren't really something he considered a priority. And why would it be? He was faster on foot than anything they could pick up.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Sonic watching her work with the quiet impatience he did on afternoons like this. He never wanted to go outside in the rain, but he got bored with their various safe houses fairly quickly. If he had come out to watch her work, it meant he was probably about an hour from risking the water to go spend time in the Homeless Quarter.

"Why do you even need that thing, anyway?" he asked suddenly. "I mean, it's not that hard for me to cart you around when you need a ride."

"Well, for one thing, I enjoy it," she said as she removed the starter. She shifted back and took up a cloth to begin cleaning. "For another, I can't always rely on you."

"Hey!"

"_What I mean_ is, you have your own life," she said, and ignored the look that flashed over his face at that. She was getting very good at ignoring that particular look and pretending it didn't mean what it probably did. "You aren't going to spend your life running me from place to place after the war, so why should you start now?"

"Okay, okay, fair point," he said, sitting back on his hands.

"And thirdly –"

"Third?" he cried, and she pointed the starter at him.

"Manic and I were not meant to move at the speed of sound."

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Exactly what I say: you run too fast for me and Manic. Sometimes you forget and it makes us sick, or hurt, or just plain freaked out," she said simply. "It's convenient, but the way you scoop us up sometimes is dangerous. You could get us both killed."

He opened his mouth, shoulders already rising defensively, but she hurried to wave him off. She was in too good of a mood to get into an argument today.

"It's not an insult. Your speed is amazing and you totally make us both a whole lot safer than we would be without you!" she said quickly. "We rely on you a lot and your speed is a great retreat. But I'm just saying that if we can go other ways… we probably should."

He closed his mouth again with a frown, looking over the motorbike now like it was a rival, but didn't say anything for a few minutes. Eventually, though, he added mulishly, "I _always_ slow down for you guys."

"We know," she said patiently. "But not enough."

"You guys are just so _slow_," he whined, and she tried not to feel offended. "I mean… what's your top speed? Like… fifty miles an hour?"

"I can spin that fast," she said, reminding herself that he wasn't _trying_ to annoy her. "I think we could run maybe thirty miles an hour if we sprinted."

"Geez…" He got up and walked a few steps away, toward the open garage door. He stared out at the rain for a moment, then looked over his shoulder. "And that's normal?"

"Manic is considered quite fast for your average hedgehog," she said, looking back down at the starter.

"Geez," he said again. He didn't speak for a long few minutes, and when she glanced up at him, the part of his face that she could see had that expression on it she liked to ignore. He didn't look back at her, but murmured, "I guess I am too fast for you."

"Yup," she said, and slid the starter back into place. When she looked up again, it was to see Sonic looking at her with a strange expression – one she'd never seen from him before. She frowned, not sure how to read it, but before she could comment it was gone, and he abruptly turned away again.

"I'm gonna go check out something. Might be home late. Later!" he said, and disappeared into the rain.

She stared after him for a second, then shrugged and went back to her bike.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	12. It's part of the Thrill

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"It's part of the thrill."

**DISCLAIMER**: There were a dozen stories I should have written with this prompt. Sonic and danger and adrenaline… but they just refused to be written. Besides, it's not like I've actually given Cyrus his own story yet…

* * *

"Yo, Cyrus," Sonic greeted as he trooped into Resistance headquarters, covered in slime that literally dripped from his spikes.

Cyrus looked up with a politely curious smile that wasn't nearly as innocent as he thought it was, and waited until Sonic had stopped in front of his table before responding. "Hey buddy. How was the mission?"

"Stylin'. Blew three silos. Those weapons you gave us kicked total bot-butt."

"Thanks. We were hoping they would," he said cheerfully, a sliver of teeth slipping into his smile before he got it back under control.

Sonic nodded thoughtfully, absently flicking a drop of slime off his brow before it could get in his eyes. "So you wouldn't be ticked at me for some reason, would you?"

"Me, Sonic?" he asked innocently. "No, of course not. Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Just a hunch I got," he said. "You know, when the cannon's anti-recoil feature turned out to be an explosion of pond scum and dish water that went all over the shooter, an' all."

"Oh, wow, I'm sorry, Sonic," he recited, his grin slipping through again. "I had no idea that would happen."

"Yeah, yeah, I guessed you couldn't have, what with you specifically saying the cannon was a one-time shot and _I_ should be the one to fire it," he said, and made a point to slap a slime-covered hand down on the table, right on top of Cyrus' notes. "Passive-aggressive, much, Cy'?"

"Me? No. No, I'm not passive-aggressive," he said, and fluttered his eyelashes, setting his chin on his palm. "I'm _creative_ in my aggression. But either way, I guess you won't be interrupting my weapons presentations anymore, huh?"

They gazed at each other silently for a few seconds, deciding whether they wanted to make it an argument or just leave it there. They weren't _mad_ at each other, so much as they kind of enjoyed annoying each other, but Sonic _was_ covered in slime…

He frowned and stood up properly. "Seriously, man. On a mission? Couldn't you prank me over dinner or something?"

"Any other situation I can almost guarantee you'd work out the prank and avoid it. At least on a mission I know you'll be too preoccupied to notice," he said cheerfully, and Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"But you don't even see it happen."

"It's part of the thrill," he said with a shrug, though his eyes were raking over Sonic's slime-covered form with far too much appreciation for such a flippant response. "Let you stew on it for however long it takes you to figure out who did it and get back to me. Besides. My imagination fills in _all_ the details."

"You're sick and twisted, Lion," Sonic informed him, and Cyrus grinned.

"And also not covered in pond scum."

"True," he agreed, and pulled off his glove. Cyrus frowned at it for a moment, but Sonic didn't comment, just stretched it out as far as it would go, and then released it, flicking his wrist so it flew straight into Cyrus' face and splattered him with slime. He grunted when it hit, but then coughed and calmly removed the glove to hand it back.

"I deserved that," he said, still smirking. "But I still think I win."

Sonic just flicked the other glove at him as well, and headed off to the showers.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

And now, we move onto a batch of non-Mobius focussed ones. Hooray for Sega characters!


	13. You didn't Really believe that, did you?

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"You didn't really believe that, did you?"

**DISCLAIMER**: I had a weird amount of trouble with this one, simply because I wanted to write about Sonic and Sonia discussing ends vs. means and it just didn't want to be written. And so, SEGA took over… I'm not really complaining.

* * *

Sitting in the tree high above the camera crew, Sonic decided he was starting to get what made humans 'attractive'.

Of course, _he_ still thought they were too tall, too bald, and that the noses were just creepy, but he was starting to figure out what humans liked in each other.

For example, he figured the guy talking at the camera below him was supposed to be good looking, because he had the straight, flat teeth and high cheekbones humans seemed to favour. And the hair. His hair did that swish thing.

"Whachya doing?" asked Tails, as he dropped onto another branch, and Sonic smiled at him.

"Thinking weird thoughts."

"Oh," he said, and they both peered down at the reporter again. They had spent most of the morning cleaning up after an earthquake that had struck the city overnight, but decided to take a break about an hour ago. Most of the missing people had been found, so the reporters seemed to be taking a lighter tone with their broadcasts; celebrating the rescue workers and commenting on Sonic's appearance.

He wasn't a freak anymore – enough mobians had come out of the shadows that humans no longer looked twice at their kind, rare though they still were on this side of the world. But he _was_ strange. They couldn't seem to explain his actions, or how he would just show up sometimes to help people.

Apparently, helping people just because you could wasn't a big thing, here.

"Sonic reportedly rescued almost seventy-five people in various places across the city today," the reporter was saying, and Sonic and Tails glanced at each other. Their count was closer to three hundred, but a lot of those people hadn't actually _seen_ them, so whatever. "Most of the people were trapped behind collapsed walls, and it should be noted that without Sonic's intervention, it may have taken rescue workers days to clear the debris and find them."

Without looking, Sonic pulled a fist from behind his head to bump Tails' outstretched one.

"Although it has been a while since we saw the blue hedgehog, the city is grateful for his help today, and we can only help he's planning to stick around for the rest of the rescue effort. Now, Mandy, I believe you have some of the rescuees there?" The reporter paused for a few moments, and a girl in a white shirt with shoved up sleeves clenched her fist.

"And we're off. Nice work, David."

"Thanks. Geez, I hate these natural disaster stories," he said wearily, yanking at his already loosened tie as the crew began packing up. "It makes me feel so useless."

"Y'know, most journalists would love this sort of opportunity," the girl said critically. "The chance to show how steadfast you can be in the face of danger…? You're bringing information and hope to the people."

"Is that what we call it?" he asked dryly. "I thought I was standing around looking pretty while a fourteen year old risked his neck to save innocent victims."

The girl paused, then looked at him again. "Fourteen year old?"

"Yeah, Sonic," he said blankly. "He's fourteen."

"Oh. He doesn't count."

The crew hesitated, exchanging glances, then began packing up a little faster as David set a hand on his hip. "How could he not count? He's been saving lives just like the rescue teams!"

"I'm not going over this with you again," she said. "We've had the discussion and we're not having it again – it impacts the way you tell stories."

"Yeah, but you didn't really believe that, did you?"

"David," she warned, turning away, and both Sonic and Tails shifted slightly to follow her movements.

"Just because they're animals doesn't mean they're not people," he said, and the boys exchanged looks.

"The way you phrase it, it does," the girl said, echoing Tails' thoughts, but she seemed more preoccupied with whatever was on her clipboard. "Look, I have no problem with Sonic or that fox thing or whatever comes into town. But you shouldn't start talking them up as heroes. They're not."

Tails frowned, carefully climbing to Sonic's branch so he could see better. Sonic raised an eyebrow, and kicked him for nearly stepping on his leg, but didn't verbally comment.

"You talk them up like they're destined heroes. Like they came here because they were called and will now spend the rest of their lives saving humanity from whatever mess we get ourselves into," the girl continued, her tone ramping up to something that sounded vaguely like a rant. "But they're not. They appeared out of the blue one day, show up occasionally, and eventually, they'll disappear just as quickly. You can't rely on them for anything."

"That kid is a hero!" David cried. "He deserves our respect!"

"Respect, yes. Sure. Gratitude, definitely," she said, and abruptly looked up with firm eyes. "But I will not worship him. He has amazing powers but he's just _playing_ with them. Saving people's lives, running around having adventures, it's all just a game to him. Save your adulation for someone who actually _appreciates_ what they're doing."

Tails took a sharp breath that made Sonic look at him as he realised the kid was half-planning on going down there and defending him.

For a second, he considered letting him.

A year ago, if someone had been talking about him like that, he probably would've felt a need to defend his honour. He _did_ appreciate what he did – he knew people's lives depended on his success and failure sometimes.

But something he'd worked out since leaving Mobius was that the more sleep he lost over something, the less prepared he was to do it. He couldn't save the world every day, and he couldn't save everyone from everything. He could only do what he could do. And that just had to be enough.

But it was almost impossible to explain that without it sounding like he didn't care.

So, he reminded his slightly bruised ego, it wasn't worth trying. "C'mon, little buddy," he said, clambering to his feet, "let's go 'play' some more."

"But…" Tails hesitated, but Sonic shrugged it off, and then immediately leapt out of the tree to head back into the city.

He had another game to finish.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

Ahh, humanity is so lame in Sega…


	14. I am not a Monster

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"I am not a monster!"

**DISCLAIMER**: You know, it's really sad – I actually prefer fun, silly fics, but I'm not very good at writing them. …Why do I feel like I've said that before…?

* * *

The little girl was staring.

Not that Tails could blame her, though in her position he'd probably be freaking out. Not that he _had_, when he'd been in her position, but he wasn't a human, and humans apparently grew up a lot slower than they did, so he'd made theoretical adjustments based on that.

The fact that she wasn't freaking out was bothering his scientific side a little, but he wasn't going to comment, because then Sonic would give him that _look_, and he'd realise how ridiculous his own thoughts were getting.

Anyway. The little girl was staring.

She'd been staring since Sonic had plucked her out of the pterodactyl's claws, which was well over an hour ago, which meant it was starting to get just little bit… creepy.

Sonic, on the other hand, had been ignoring it with great skill, though when he finished making the campfire and sat down on the opposite side to the little girl, he stared straight back.

"You know," he said finally, propping his chin on the heel of his hand, "I know I'm stupidly good looking an' all, but I'm really starting to wonder if someone's shaved something into my fur, 'cause you've been staring for a while now, sweetheart."

The girl blinked, then narrowed her eyes and leaned a little closer to the fire, as if to see him better. Sonic raised an eyebrow, then looked across at Tails. "_Do_ I have something in my fur?"

"Dude, I am not checking you for fleas," he said, and ducked when Sonic threw a stick at him.

"Where did this attitude come from, seriously? You were such a nice kid, only like, two months ago!" he cried, but he was smiling, and looked back at the little girl. She continued to stare, until Sonic heaved a sigh and stood up. "Okay. I'm gonna go find us some dinner. M'thinkin' seafood. Any objections?"

"I haven't had fish in ages," Tails moaned happily, and the little girl spared a moment to stare at him before going back to Sonic. He apparently decided to take that as a 'no', because he nodded and wandered into the forest with a wave. Tails took the time to sit down beside the little girl, who had instead chosen to frown at her shoes, and tried to smile at her. "So, you've been through a lot today. How are you holding up?"

She looked at him suspiciously, and he winced.

"Must've been pretty scary, getting caught by that big bird."

"Dinosaur," she corrected. "Daddy says they're dinosaurs and they're supposed to be all dead."

He blinked in surprise. It was the first time she'd spoken to them and it was so definitive… he wasn't sure that was an entirely good thing. "They were never extinct, just… not around here. It's a sign the planet's changing."

"Daddy says it's got nothing to do with the planet," she said firmly. "Daddy says it's because monsters are hanging around."

"That's… one way to put it," he said. "But… the monsters are only coming back because of the planet. It's called Climate Change."

"Mummy says the news says it's called Chaos."

He blinked again. Now there was a theory he hadn't paid much attention to. Chaos was causing Climate Change, huh? "Well, we'll soon have you back with your parents. Where exactly do you live?"

"Mummy says I shouldn't tell."

"Why?" he asked blankly.

"Because if you tell, then people can come and take things from you when you're not there."

He scratched his eyebrow, trying not to feel frustrated. "But we need to get you home."

"But we're not at home."

She was _really_ trying his patience. "I know, but your parents are probably worried and –"

"They're not home either," she said, as if pointing out the obvious. "That's why I can't tell you where home is."

"Right," he said, and rolled his eyes up to the sky. "Of course. So where are your parents?"

"At the seaside. I was playing on the beach because we were on holiday."

"Okay," he said. Now they were getting somewhere. "Where were you on holiday?"

"The seaside," she said impatiently, and he fought the urge to twitch.

After a few more minutes of roundabout conversation, he finally worked out where her family were probably staying, and how long it would take them to get there. Only a few moments after that, Sonic came back with cleaned and gutted fish on sticks, which he propped into the fire before sitting down in the same place as before.

"So, how's things over here?" he asked cheerfully, and the girl leaned forward again.

"You don't look like a monster," she announced, and Sonic spread a hand toward her.

"She speaks!"

"A lot," Tails deadpanned, and Sonic snickered before looking back at her.

"I'd wanna hope I don't look like a monster. Why would I?"

"Because you're Sonic the Hedgehog," she said decisively. "And Mummy says Sonic the Hedgehog is a monster that's gonna destroy us all."

It was mostly in Tails' imagination, but he swore the world stopped for a second, and silence reigned. He couldn't breathe, or speak, or…

"Really now," Sonic said casually, breaking the moment as if it had never occurred. "A monster, huh? In general, or just when I'm Super?"

"She says that when you go all yellow it's your true self coming out, because your eyes are red and only evil people have red eyes." She said it like it was fact, and Tails felt his fur bristle. He very nearly didn't want to take the girl back anymore. Just leave her out here and see how her mummy liked that.

Sonic just scratched under his quills for a moment, considering, before opening his mouth again. "I am not a monster," he said finally. "I'm a hedgehog."

"But Mummy –"

"Yeah, I know," he said with a smile, "but what I think your mom meant was more… I'm not a monster, but I could be."

The little girl frowned curiously, tilting her head, and Tails turned to look at Sonic incredulously.

He just shrugged. "Anyone can be a monster, sweetie. Anyone can be scary, or mean. Anyone could hurt someone, if they wanted. That's enough to make a monster." He paused, glancing at Tails, then continued. "I have got a lot of power, and I could do a lot of damage. But your mom could do the same, by saying nasty things and making people upset. You could be a monster – you could grow up to have fangs," he added with a grin, and she giggled.

"I'm not a monster!"

"Not yet!" he teased, and glanced at Tails again. "Your mom's got every reason to think like that, but… don't go judging people just based on what she says, okay? Make up your own mind."

"Mm," she said. "Even if you are a monster, I think you're a nice one."

"Well, thank you!" he said cheerfully, and leaned forward to turn the fish.

Later, after the little girl had curled up against a tree and gone to sleep, Tails came back from washing up to join Sonic's star gazing. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Sonic chuckled. "Dude, I can feel your fur standing on end. Out with it."

"Aren't you mad?" he hissed, before he even realised he was still angry or why. "You've done so much to help humans and they still think you're a monster!"

"Like I care what they think," he said bluntly. "Besides, they've got reason to be scared. Don't tell me Shadow doesn't give you the creeps sometimes. Only difference between him and me is that you know me."

"And you're not a synthetic life form, with morals and no desire to blow up the world," he added, and Sonic chuckled again.

"That too."

"Sonic, you're a hero!"

"Dude, Tails," he said, and sat up, shifting to meet his gaze. "I thought we got over this years ago. Why're you freaking out?"

"Because you're…!" He trailed off, realising he didn't really have an answer, and bit his lip. "Why doesn't it bother you?"

"Because I don't care what they think," he said. "When I meet this girl's parents, I'll be nice and hopefully change their mind, but why should I care what some idiot thinks? Let everyone think what they wanna, whether it's about me or which way the wind blows. It doesn't change anything."

Tails just continued gazing at him for a long moment, then looked back at the fire, not sure of why he suddenly felt sad. He could feel Sonic watching him for another few moments, before abruptly turning away, and Tails glanced around instead.

"What?"

He grimaced, then said, "I didn't use to care what _anyone_ thought."

"But?" he guessed, and Sonic took a breath.

"But… it's weird," he said, and didn't look at him. "I'm startin' to care what you think."

Tails blinked, and then shifted a little more toward him. "Me?"

"Yeah. But… I'm not worried about it or anything," he said quickly, still refusing to look at him. "It's the weirdest thing, it's like… I know you're okay with me and what I do, but… I _want_ you to be."

He raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure that Sonic was making sense anymore.

"And I'm not _worried_, but sometimes I wonder what'll happen," he said, his eyes flicking across the fire. "Y'know, if… if you're wrong about me."

"Wrong about you?" he asked blankly.

"Like if I'm not really who you think I am," he clarified, and finally looked at him. "What if you don't know me as well as you think, and you find out something you don't like, or something? What happens then?"

Tails continued staring at him for a long time, then looked down at his shoes and thought over what he knew.

He'd never heard of Sonic thinking like this before, though when he thought about it logically, it didn't follow that he never would have. In its own way, it was kind of touching to realise that Sonic was thinking it about him. Of all the people in the world, Tails was the one Sonic cared about enough to care what he thought.

But honestly, what could Sonic possibly be that Tails didn't already know?

He was arrogant, impatient, he came across as callous and cold, even if he was actually more compassionate than anyone Tails had ever met—_combined_. He'd seen Sonic angry, too. He'd seen him _furious_. He'd Sonic at his most terrifying, when his fur would darken and his eyes would pale, and even Eggman knew to back off.

But Tails had never, in all the years he'd known Sonic, ever felt scared of his best friend.

He'd seen Sonic at his worst – when he was all coiled fury and violence and you couldn't help but remember _this person had the power to destroy planets_. But he had walked up to him then and spoken to him and never once feared for his safety.

Because he'd seen Sonic drop everything to save a Flicky. He'd seen Sonic's reluctant smile when he let Amy catch him. Let Cream braid flowers into his quills with only a put-upon sigh. Use those awe-inspiring powers to defeat _gods_… and then put them back in a metaphorical box so he could eat ice cream and watch the sun set.

"I think… if I find out something I don't know… I'll still know you," he said finally, and turned his head to look at him properly. "And… and you're still gonna be my best friend."

Sonic finally turned to meet his gaze, and they just stared at each other in silence for a few moments, before Sonic suddenly coughed and physically shifted away. "Oh yeah. Even if I turn into a blood-sucking monster from the black lagoon?"

"I've smelt your morning breath. Blood sucking black lagoon has nothing on morning-after-chilli breath," he said lightly, and Sonic cuffed him up the back of the head without looking.

"I'm going to sleep," he said, and flopped back against the ground, stretching out before curling into a ball. He stayed silent for a few seconds, then added quietly, "Thanks for being mad, buddy. It's not necessary, but… thanks."

He glanced at Sonic's back, then smiled and fell back himself, thumping his head on one tail and wrapping the other over himself. Let the stupid people think what they wanted – they both knew who the monsters were.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

I swear it's coincidence these few fics are so linked. I'm pretty sure they stop having threads soon.


	15. You will never hit me!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"You will never hit me!"

**DISCLAIMER**: See me totally make Sonic's line in Shadow the Hedgehog work in my canon! Like MAGIC. AND it adds to my Underground-made-Sonic-a-jerk-for-a-reason theory. Yup.

* * *

Sonic staring at him like he'd grown a second head along with his tail wasn't exactly an unusual sight. It was standard practice when he started geeking out about chaos energy or LEDs or… well, anything science-ey. But at least then he was usually using techno-babble and complex theoretical science.

He really didn't think "Here, take this," was that hard a sentence to follow.

Of course, he added to himself after almost thirty seconds had passed without Sonic so much as blinking, he wasn't usually holding out a laser rifle, either.

"I need you to help me test something," he said, pushing the gun a little closer.

Sonic took a step back. "What, exactly?"

"These pads. They're gonna be so cool," he said, holding up his arms to show off the gauntlets strapped to all six of his limbs. "They're a new kind of armour I'm working on – they're designed to deflect incoming projectiles and lasers. And they work okay on the dummy, but now I need to make sure they work on someone that moves."

Sonic's eyes flicked to the gun in Tails' hands. "And… how're you plannin' on doing that?"

"You're gonna shoot me," he said bluntly, because really, that should've been obvious.

Except Sonic laughed. "Oh, buddy… no, I'm not."

"Well, of course you won't actually shoot me," he said, rolling his eyes and pushing the gun forward again. Sonic took another step back, and Tails raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Oh, come on, Sonic, who else am I gonna trust to do this?"

"No one, because is the dumbest test you have ever thought of," he said firmly, and held up his hands so that when Tails pushed the gun forward again, he could push it back. "How about I wear the pads and you shoot the gun? I can dodge, even if they don't work."

"Which is exactly why you can't wear the pads," he said patiently. "These pads are supposed to work faster than normal reaction times. Your reaction times are faster than my machines can track, let alone this armour."

"Tails, buddy, I –" He grimaced as his final step made him hit the fence, and then actually cringed when Tails took the opportunity to shove the weapon into his hands. "Seriously, dude, I don't think –"

"It'll be fine!" he said cheerfully, already halfway across the testing field. "For one thing, I made sure that this was a laser gun, and it's on its lowest setting. The worst it could do is roast a marshmallow. And for another—" He grinned at the way Sonic had started holding the gun, with one hand on the barrel, near the mouth, and the other cupping the butt of it. Poor guy probably didn't even know which end the lasers came out. "—shooting guns isn't as easy as it looks. Seriously, dude, even if you do manage to fire the thing, you will never hit me!"

Sonic just continued standing there awkwardly, his eyes flicking in every direction as they always did when he'd rather be anywhere but where he was. Tails pulled up his hands, half-shielding himself and half-gesturing helplessly. "But hey, if you won't help me out, I guess the only other person I can really trust to do it is Shadow. At least he knows his way around a gun, and I'll definitely know for sure that the pads defend my –"

"Okay, okay, quit jokin' around!" he cried, and then, with an angry snap of his hands, locked, loaded and raised the gun to proper firing position.

Despite himself, Tails blinked. Sonic was even faster than even Knuckles and Tails could really comprehend, but it was still surprising to see him fumble his way through that procedure fast enough to make it look like he knew what he was doing.

But hey – a victory was a victory, and a test was a test! Tails grinned and got ready, his arms and legs spread at the ready. "Okay, so, just like it looks on the movies, you just sight through the scope and –"

"Dude, I have been on the end of these enough to get the idea," he snapped, but Tails didn't bother taking it to heart. Sonic didn't like getting forced into anything, and he hated guns. But he really was the only one Tails trusted with this. If anything went wrong, Sonic was fast enough to make sure it didn't go _horribly_ wrong.

But he didn't shoot. He shifted his weight twice, moving in and out of an excellent shooter's stance, and licked his lips. He lowered the rifle a few centimetres, then lifted it again, his hands flexing on the gun.

Tails sighed, trying to be patient. "Okay, so… squeeze the trigger."

"I know!" he said, shifting his weight again. "It's just that this isn't exactly my idea of fun."

"Well, yeah, but –"

And then suddenly, Tails' arm snapped up, jerked by the gauntlet effortlessly deflecting a laser shot away from his shoulder. He grinned. "Wow! That was awesome!"

"Yeah, great, your armour works, let's move on," he said, but Tails shook his head before Sonic could drop the gun.

"No way, Sonic! I didn't think you'd get anywhere near me, but if you can aim, we can do some proper testing! See if it will cover the whole torso!"

"_What_."

If Tails hadn't been hyped up on science and possibilities, he might have noticed Sonic's stare, but as it was, he just danced in place, raising his arms to the ready. "Okay, okay, come on, three more. Try to get my chest!"

"Dude, no."

"Oh, come on, Sonic! Just think of what this armour could do! It could save lives! All the policemen and soldiers –"

"And criminals and murderers," Sonic muttered, lowering the gun so it was under his arm, near his waist, but Tails was too excited to care.

"Oh, no, don't give up! Come on, I –"

"Tails!" he shouted, and Tails flinched, immediately stopping his dance as he realised Sonic was actually glaring—really and properly glaring—at him. Sonic just shifted his weight again, becoming rock-steady in a way Tails hadn't seen in years. "Just because someone doesn't look like they're ready to shoot you doesn't mean they won't. For crying out freaking loud, Tails."

"Sonic…"

"You want me to do this, you listen, okay?" he snapped. "You are not faster than a speeding bullet, let alone the speed of light. People can change their minds but bullets and lasers can't. _Never_ let your guard down when someone is holding a weapon, you hear me?"

He blinked rapidly, his head jerking in a compulsive nod.

He knew this Sonic. It was the same one he'd had on the Floating Island, after three days of being surrounded by water and almost a week of fighting Robotnik's monsters – the one that had gone to help Knuckles with the Master Emerald and didn't come back for over a year.

And Sonic seemed to realise it, because he stopped looking at him, instead lowering his eyes to the ground, shoving a hand over his quills, and then still refusing to meet his gaze. "Ready?"

"Yes."

Despite having the gun by his waist, the next shot was dead-centre to Tails' chest, causing both his arms to snap around in deflection, and the second would have caught his knee if the guard on his calf hadn't jerked upward. Sonic fired three more, each perfectly deflected, before he dropped the gun.

"We're done," he said, and Tails nodded. The fun had gone from the science with Sonic like this.

"Thanks. It really helped."

"Sure," he said, and turned away, folding his arms over the fence as he stared across the ocean.

Tails hesitated, then hurried forward, jumping over the gun as he moved up beside his best friend. He peered at him anxiously, and Sonic sighed, reaching out without looking to ruffle the longer fur on Tails' head.

"M'not mad at you, kiddo. I just don't like guns. I don't like that I know how to use 'em, either."

"How do you know how to use them?" he asked. "I'm not buying the whole 'watching other people try to shoot me' bit."

"Well, it sure didn't _hurt_," he said, but his grin was weak, and he still didn't meet Tails' eyes. "I learned before I figured out how to spin-dash. It's ancient history now, buddy."

"You're pretty good for someone who learned when they were… what, eight?"

"Six. And besides," This time, Sonic did look at him, with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Look who's talking."

"I only learned because I wanted to make them!" he cried defensively, but Sonic just snorted and slung an arm around his shoulders.

"Whatever. You owe me chilli dogs for dinner."

"What?"

"What, you didn't think I did that for nothing, did you?"

"But – we never – _I_ never –!"

"Oh-ho, but you did," he said, and dragged him around, back toward the workshop. "And they are going to be the most epic chilli dogs in the history of forever. With garlic and paprika and jalapenos… oh, Tails, let me tell you about the jalapenos…"

"So-o-o-nic…!" he whined, but let himself get shoved inside, leaving the laser gun alone in the dirt.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	16. Agh, that's awful!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Agh, that's awful!"

**DISCLAIMER**: Hair. Quills. Spines. WHATEVER. And yes, I did forget it was Wednesday.

* * *

He didn't really think about his family all that much, these days. They were a part of his history, and he generally didn't spend a whole lot of time thinking about anything in the past, let alone things he had actively left behind.

But when he walked past a room to half-see Amy sitting in front of the mirror with her hands in her quills and shouting, "Agh! That's awful!", he couldn't help thinking of his sister, and paused long enough to realise the whole situation was kind of strange.

"Amy?"

"Hm? Oh, Sonic!" she said, dropping her hands and spinning to face him. "What are you doing here?"

"Hanging out with Tails," he said, despite the fact he hadn't seen Tails in two days. Most people (Tails included) would have said Sonic lived at the workshop, when he wasn't out adventuring, but Sonic couldn't think long-term enough to even consider it. Amy, on the other hand, just had a penchant for dropping by unannounced.

"I've been thinking about doing something different with my hair," she said, turning back to the mirror. "Maybe letting it go back to spikes, or grow out my fringe. What do you think?"

"Uh?"

"How long did it take your quills to grow out?" she asked, and he blinked again.

"I haven't exactly been keeping track," he said blankly, but walked into the room to stand beside her and look in the mirror. He tried not to notice her dreamy smile at the image of the two of them together, instead running a hand over his quills. "I guess they are getting kinda long."

"They look good!" she chirped, but then went back to pushing her quills around. "I don't know about me, though. I've been brushing them down so long… I just can't imagine them spiked up again, can you?"

He just kept patting down his quills without comment. She was almost the same age as Sonia would have been when he left. Of course, Sonia had obsessed over her fringe, whereas Amy just let it do what it would. He liked that.

"So what's awful?"

"Mm, I was trying a style I saw in this magazine," she said, and he peered over her shoulder to the glossy magazine in front of her. He very nearly flinched, but managed to keep it to a slight shift of weight when he realised he was actually _looking_ at a picture of his sister. She didn't seem aware of the camera, surrounded by and focussed on the other women in the middle of a busy shopping street, but somehow he knew it was her.

Like him, she'd changed a lot over the years. She was taller—would probably match their mother now—and all muscled curves. Her quills had grown out, and she kept them tied back with her fringe swept to the sides of her face.

"So I pulled back my hair, but when I do it, it's just not as glamorous as that," Amy continued, pulling him back from his surprise. "I just look like a bobble head, because my hair's not long enough to have the body hers does."

"You're speaking Greek to me, Amy," he said honestly, and set his hands on his hips. "It's hair. You look fine as you are."

The second after he said it, he realised exactly what she'd heard, and cringed back as she spun around to face him again, all sparkly eyes and big grin. "Really, Sonic? You like it like this? I guess I can keep it the same if it's for you," she gushed, and stood up, leaning into his personal space with clasped hands that quickly latched onto his. "Tell me honestly, Sonic – do you think I'm pretty? Because I worry about these things, you know, I mean, other girls have such nice hair, so I wonder if you'd rather I took care of mine. But if you like it like this –"

"A-Amy," he stammered, trying to lean back without her following. This was a delicate situation – he couldn't compliment her, or she'd never leave him alone again. He also couldn't insult her, or he'd get walloped into next Thursday by a great honking hammer. "I – I was just – you – hair isn't something I… um…"

"Yes, Sonic?" she prompted, fluttering her eyelashes.

"I think I hear Tails calling me," he said, and her eyes immediately stopped fluttering to instead narrow dangerously.

"I don't hear anything."

"Nope, definitely a call for help," he said quickly, pulling out his hands and grinning at her. "I should go find out what's wrong – bye!"

"Sonic!" she yelled, but he was already tearing away and out of the workshop, past a bewildered Tails and into the Mystic Ruins. Left behind, Amy huffed and stamped her foot. "Agh! Now _that's_ awful!"

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	17. I have you in my Eye

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"I have you in my eye."

**DISCLAIMER**: Prophecies, I always think, are funny things. Because it almost always comes down to wording. And just because something happens, that doesn't mean the world will stay however it is during the prophecy. But no one ever mentions that. It's always just: you are destined to be king! Now go save the world from zombies!

* * *

The Oracle of Delphius was a powerful mystic, that Saw all and Knew all, and was guiding the Council of Four on their path to greatness.

Sonic, however, had long since decided he was a frozen anteater-slug that got off on screwing with people's heads.

"Sight-seeing, young Hedgehog?" the Oracle asked mildly, as Sonic brushed snow from his shoulders.

"Yup. Was just in the neighbourhood and figured I'd drop by for tea and ant-carcasses," he said cheerfully.

"Ant-carcasses?" The Oracle set his chin on his hand, still smiling that irritating smile. "Exploring your primitive ancestry?"

"Not so much. More I figure you should always accept what your host has on hand," he said, then tilted his head the other way. "But I have eaten ants. They're not that bad – kind of taste like nothing, but they're all nutrients."

"Indeed…"

Knowing that the Oracle was a jerk, however fun he was to banter with, Sonic wasn't entirely sure why he'd just travelled several hundred miles—alone—to see him. He hadn't planned on it, as his lack of clothing implied, but when he'd gone out for a walk, his feet had brought him here. Never one to deny whim—as long as it kept him within Mobius, these days—Sonic had let himself come out. But now he was stuck for reasons why.

So instead he wandered around the cave, pretending to be interested in weirdly coloured potions and not in the least bit creeped out by the preserved wildlife. The Oracle continued sitting at his workbench and pretended not to be amused by Sonic's movements.

"I notice you're alone today," he said finally, and Sonic very pointedly didn't stop inspecting an emerald green gloop that was dripping upwards into a jar.

"No kiddin'."

"The Prince and Princess busy, then?" he asked mildly, and Sonic looked sideways without turning.

"Asleep, last I saw."

"A telling admission," he noted, and Sonic refocussed on the gloop. The Oracle gave him a few moments, then looked up at the ceiling as he said, "You're looking for something."

"Not really."

"You would like me to give you permission to find it. And that, Sonic, is not something I can do."

It didn't make a whole heap of sense, because he wasn't exactly sure what it was he was supposedly asking permission for, but Sonic still zipped back to the table to frown at him.

"Why not?"

"I have you in my eye, young Hedgehog," he said, still watching the ceiling. "I know what it is you do, and what it is you are meant to do. Everything you are, will be… and were."

His eyebrow twitched a little. He wasn't sure what he'd come here for, but he was pretty darn sure it wasn't an inspirational monarchist speech. He didn't need to be told he'd spent two years of his life lost in the wilds, unsure of his purpose or place or any other nonsense the Oracle could come out with. That was why he was stuck – no, why he _knew_ _his place_ was here on the mainland of Mobius.

After a few moments, the Oracle lowered his gaze to meet Sonic, and his smile darkened as he slowly reached out to push the medallion against Sonic's collarbone. "I see what you are," he said again. "I know you were _more_."

That stopped him.

Sonic took a half-step back, but the Oracle rose to his feet, following him without coming any closer.

"But you came back to rescue your kingdom, and to do that, you must be its prince," he said firmly. "The prophecy will come to pass, Prince Sonic. And you will be one of the Council of Four. I came to you, but you were the one who sealed your fate. Now: you can run from this; abandon your siblings, doom your family and your kingdom. From that, I cannot stop you. Or, you can accept your royal self, and be who you were prophesised to be, leading Mobotropolis back to the light as its crown prince."

Sonic took another half-step back, his fists clenching at his side.

He wasn't sure what he came here for.

But that had just about been the last thing he ever wanted to hear.

"What do you know, anyway?" he snapped, and sprinted out of the cave to the sound of the Oracle's laughter.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

I'm up to 35 and running out of ideas… This may not be pretty…


	18. It touched me right

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"It touched me right… urrrp! Never mind, that was gas."

**DISCLAIMER**: Does anyone actually know where the Live Journal community is? I'm really starting to wonder if it's kosher to use their phrases without at least letting them know…

* * *

Not a secret: Amy Rose was hopelessly, madly, completely in love with Sonic the Hedgehog.

Also not a secret: Sonic was not hopelessly, madly, or completely in love with Amy.

What was a secret, that their group of friends all knew but never said, was that this did not mean Sonic had a problem with Amy's affection. If he had a problem with it, they all knew, he wouldn't let her latch on to him the way she did, or stay in sight when she chased him. He certainly wouldn't occasionally agree to go on dates with her. He was a wonderful, compassionate person… but he wasn't _that_ nice.

They weren't quite sure why he objected to it as loudly as he did, though. Knuckles figured it was something to do with her safety, while Tails thought it was because she was so… pushy about it. Amy was of the belief he was just playing _really_ hard to get.

The big secret? The one that no one but Amy knew?

She didn't really mind.

It was a game, because she knew how it _really_ was, and how to avoid his denials. She just didn't always care.

"So this is where you live? It's great!" she'd gushed as he ducked through the Workshop door. It had been the first time he'd brought her here, even if it was only because Eggman had gotten it in his head that she had some kind of mystic power he could use. Her very limited ability with magic wasn't all that useful for others, but if it meant Sonic would let her stay with him for a while, she had been willing to pretend!

"Not me, just Tails," he said. "Yo, Tails! How's that engine going?"

"Whoa, Sonic!"

Amy blinked. It was the first time she'd met Tails, and all she could see was a tiny fox-head poking out of a huge metal chamber.

"Give me some warning – this engine is really delicate, and the slightest bump could make it _explode_," he said, raising an arm from the chamber-hatch to wave a pair of pliers. "If you surprise me at the wrong moment, we could send this whole building sky-high!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's all good," he said, then waved at Amy. "Amy Rose, Tails. Tails, Amy."

Tails blinked back at her, then waved his pliers vaguely. "Hi. Are you the one with the psychic powers?"

"Yes," she said automatically, because it was keeping her with Sonic, but at his look she grimaced. "Well. They kind of come and go. Not really."

"Oh… please don't make any sudden sounds or movements," he said, and then ducked back into the chamber.

She hesitated a moment until she realised Sonic had continued walking, and hurried after him. "So what's the plan? We stay cooped up in this cosy little cottage for weeks until Doctor Robotnik forgets about me?"

"No, we wait for Tails to fix the Tornado's engine and then go kick Buttnik's butt," he said, crouching down in front of a small bar fridge at the back. He took out an energy drink and then gestured to the fridge. "Help yourself. Tails! Drink?"

"Don't talk to me right now!" he called back, as Amy checked out her options.

It was all energy drinks and canned juice, so she took an orange one and tried to open it in a lady-like fashion. Perhaps fortunately, Sonic wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention, walking back toward a spare bit of workbench that he pushed himself up onto.

She hurried after, and leaned her elbow on the bench beside him so she could look up from under her eyelashes. "I just wanted to thank you for rescuing me. I wasn't sure you'd remember me after what happened at Little Planet, so I was really surprised when you showed up this morning."

"Who could forget you?" he asked with a quick grin. "And save your thanks for when I do something unusual – saving people is what I do!"

"That's so cool," she said, inching closer. "And you're so calm about it! Like it's nothing special when it's so amazing."

Despite his supposed nonchalance, Sonic still smirked, though he hid it behind his energy drink, and Amy bit her lip at getting any kind of reaction from him. Now she had to get more.

"And the _way_ you rescued me, it was so dashing! Like a caped hero from a movie!" she continued. "Just bursting in through the window and staring Doctor Robotnik down like he was nothing! And what you said: 'Mitts off the girl – she's too pretty for you'! Oh, just thinking about it makes me blush!"

"Uh, well," he said, looking off to the side.

_Clunk_.

"Uh oh," came from inside the cylinder. "Um… you guys might want to get out."

Sonic immediately put down the drink, completely focussed on the now-rumbling chamber, but Amy was too caught up in the memory to notice.

"It was so sweet! And, really, no one's ever said anything like that about me before! It touched me right –"

_Urrrp_!

"Never mind," Tails called, "that was gas."

Sonic's eyelids lowered in annoyance, and he picked up his drink to hide his scowl this time, as Amy finally noticed the strange noises from behind her.

"What's going on?"

"My little buddy is scaring the blue outta me," he grumbled, and then looked at her again. "What were you saying?"

"You… you weren't listening?"

"Not really," he said honestly. "Something about you not being pretty?"

She twitched. At the time, it had frustrated the heck out of her, but looking back, she was a little bit grateful. Now she knew that the more she gushed about his compliments, the less he gave them.

So now, as Sonic pulled up his extreme gear in front of her and clucked his tongue at Jet, she hung on his words in silence.

"How many times I gotta tell you, Jet?" he asked, pulling Amy up onto the board with him. "Pretty girls don't like it when you rush them."

"Yeah?" he snapped back. "And how'd you like it if I rushed _you_?"

"Sorry, buddy, I've already got a date for tonight," he said, and Amy, no longer as innocent as she pretended to be or as oblivious as Sonic didn't know he was, leaned past his quills to poke her tongue out at the hawk.

And even though it really did touch her to know that all Sonic had to see was an idiot hassling her before he came flying in to the rescue… even though it meant everything to her that he could have just told Jet to take a hike and left her there, but instead chose to pick her up like a knight and whisk her away… even though she wanted to squeal over how he'd called her _pretty_…

She just pressed closer to his side, relishing the firm weight of his hand on her hip, and didn't say anything as it stayed there.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	19. There will be hell to pay

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"There will be hell to pay."

**DISCLAIMER**: What? It's technically Saturday. By an hour—_and a half_!—so I should post before I forget. Yeah… -cough- Don't take anything too seriously, darlings.

* * *

It was glorious. Ambrosia. Chilli and onions and peppers and oh, wow, it was his all his and in just two life-changing seconds it would be in his stomach…

"_Sonic Hedgehog_!"

For a moment, he considered putting the chilli-dog-of-the-gods down, just so he could be completely and utterly infuriated with the interruption, but decided that would be petty. Instead, he decided, he would sit here and calmly take his time with the dog, paying more attention to it than Sonia's inevitable rant, just to tick her off.

On the other side of the table, Manic sighed and put down his own dog, his head falling onto his palm. "Y'know, I really thought we'd get through the week without you guys havin' an argument."

Sonic shot him the look that deserved and turned to meet Sonia's glare as she stormed into the room. "Yes, sister dearest?"

"I don't mind you wearing them," she began, slamming her hands on the table between them, "but for the love of all things, can't you buy your own darn dresses rather than stealing mine?"

Okay. That stopped him. He swallowed the first (unfortunately not as delicious as it had looked) bite of his chilli dog and sat back in his chair to stare at her. "Say what?"

"Yeah, totally dittoing that one," Manic agreed, but Sonia just stared right back, as if Sonic were the one who should explain himself.

"My favourite dress, with the sky blue skirt. Of all the dresses in the world, Sonic!"

"Okay, back up a sec' here," said Sonic. "You have a blue dress?"

"I _had_ a blue dress."

"I've never seen you wear it," he said bluntly. "Are you sure it exists?"

"_Sonic_!"

"Okay, okay, geez." He took another bite, considering. "Why would I steal this supposed dress? Manic's the klepto."

"Hey!"

"You are."

"Yeah, but… still."

"Manic isn't a transvestite," Sonia snarled, all sharp-edged and dangerous, but he just raised an eyebrow.

"And I am?"

"In the four months I've known you Sonic, I've seen you wear a lot more skirts than trousers."

Manic smiled, raising his eyebrows at his brother. "She's got you there, dude."

"Shut up," he said, and looked back at Sonia irritably. "Those were disguises, Sonia. Standard Resistance strategy – no one expects a guy in a dress." He took a bite, then shook his head and pointed at Manic. "Besides, he's done it too."

"Yeah, bro, but I just can't pull it off like you," he said, and Sonic opened his mouth to snark back, but Sonia slapped her hands on the table again to cut him off.

"Stop it! Sonic, like I said, I don't care what clothes you wear," she said. "I don't care if it's a hobby, a disguise, or something you just do to weird me out. The point is, I want the dress back."

"I didn't take your stupid dress," he snapped back. "Even if I did want a dress—_for a disguise_—I wouldn't take one of yours. Your chest is way too small."

"Okay. That's it," she said, and unceremoniously yanked the chair out from under Manic, dumping him on the floor and raising it over her head. Sonic yelped, snatched his chilli dog, and dove out of the way just as the chair came crashing down in the place he'd been.

"Whoa, Sonia! Chill out, that wasn't – oh, wait, that was way more insulting than I meant," he realised, and held up his hands defensively. "I just meant I have a broader torso than you and I wouldn't be able to fit into your clothes anyway! Calm down!"

"And by the way: ow!" Manic added as he clambered back to his feet.

"Honestly!" she yelled, slamming the chair back on the ground. "Just tell me where you put the dress! It's not that hard!"

"I didn't take your dress!" he snapped back.

"Then who did?" she demanded, and there was a pause as they glared at each other, before looking at Manic, who scowled.

"Hey, don't look at me. I ain't ever seen this dress. Besides, they don't sell on the black market," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "I only steal valuable stuff."

"Okay, I was just mad at Sonic, but now, you've insulted my wardrobe," she said, picking up the chair again. "You have to pay."

"Uh oh."

No longer the subject of her ire, Sonic leant against the table and watched his siblings chase each other around the room, wondering if it was twisted that their idea of rough housing included thrown furniture. He ate his chilli dog and Manic's for good measure, but once he saw Sonia laughing after Manic grabbed the chair off her, he decided it would be safe to break up the game.

"Okay, boys and girls, time out!" he called, and dove into the fray, scooping Sonia up and twirling her around before setting her down in the chair. "Think we've risked enough safe-house materials for one day."

"Aw, c'mon, bro, just when I was starting to win!" Manic whined playfully, and Sonia kicked at him with a giggle.

"Sure," Sonic said, and set a hand on his hip before looking at Sonia again. "So, in all seriousness… you sure someone took the dress? You didn't just lose it while we were in the van somewhere?"

"Definitely," she said, losing her smile. "I remember packing it back up when we left Carven Town, and today's the first time I've touched my suitcase since then."

"Yeah, but we had that big fight with Sleet after you packed up," Manic pointed out. "Maybe someone got into your stuff?"

"That's probably what happened," agreed Sonic. "Dunno who would steal from us, though, I mean… come on. It's _us_."

"I don't know who did it," Sonia said, standing up with a huff. "But when I find out, there will be _hell_ to pay."

* * *

For a long few moments, Sleet could only stare in silence, before he sighed and rubbed his muzzle. "I don't think I even want to ask."

"Uhh… no," Dingo said awkwardly. "Probably not."

"Seriously. The amount of wrongness in this," he said, his cape flaring as he turned to leave the room. "I don't even know why I'm surprised."

Dingo waited for him to go, then turned back to the mirror with a twirl. In the mirror, a bright orange version of Sonia Hedgehog smiled back at him, winking flirtatiously as she hitched up her beautiful sky-blue skirt.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	20. There will be Death

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"There will be death."

**DISCLAIMER**: Hey, look! It's another one I'm not too fond of. This one got written for two reasons: I have a much, much longer story that will never see the light of day because it's not going anywhere which kinda deals with some stuff I touch on. And also, I could not, for the life of me, think of anything for this phrase.

* * *

"_Stakes and torches, scimitars and bayonets_," Sonic sang under his breath, picking out a tune on his guitar. "_Scythes, pitchforks, a sickle with a sharpened edge_…"

"Dude, cheery," Manic noted from where he sat on the other end of the bunk.

Sonic glanced at him, then gestured to the table, where Sonia sat with Cyrus and two of the Resistance elders. "Just matchin' the mood."

"C'mon, bro. We've gotta talk about this stuff."

"No, we don't," he corrected. "We just are."

Oblivious to Sonic's disgust, Sonia sat forward, pressing her fingertips against each other. "We just aren't prepared for it yet. The Resistance has the numbers, but not the power. That's why no matter how hard we push at the moment, Robotnik just pushes back. If we want to win, we need power."

"We have power," Elder Jack said, looking over Sonia's shoulder to Sonic. He glared right back, but Jack ignored it. "The three of you are more than enough to destroy Robotnik for good."

"No, we're not," she said. "We've tried, Jack. Something always gets in our way and we end up having to high-tail it out of there."

"That's why this time, the Resistance forces will back you up. You'll go in there with an army of fifty right on your heels."

"No. No, we can't do that, it's just risking lives," she argued. "No, it's not even a risk, there _will_ be death. We go in there with an army, they'll see us coming and mow us down. The only one who should die for this war is Robotnik, and _I_ want to be the _only one_ with blood on my hands."

Sonic lowered his eyes to the guitar strings, but Manic still saw his reluctant look. He chose not to acknowledge it, focussing on Sonia.

"No one on our side should have to die," she finished firmly. "We've sacrificed enough."

"So what should we do?" asked Elder Zsithaan. "Keep fighting? Keep losing more to the Robotocisor? How long for, Princess?"

"We need to find Mother," she said. "Queen Aleena will change the tide – the four of us together can bring down Robotnik. We will find her, and he will fall."

"How are you going to find her?" Cyrus asked quietly. "Every time you've tried, she's disappeared."

"I don't know, Cyrus, but we will. You just have to give us more time. But I promise you," she said, meeting Jack's gaze head-on. "As soon as we find the Queen, I will _personally_ make sure Robotnik's head is removed from his oversized shoulders."

"_Anything at hand_," Sonic sung to himself, strumming softly, "_anything that can… help us to remove… the head_."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

The song Sonic's singing here, by the way, is a real one by a fantastic Goth Punk artist known as Voltaire: "Stakes and Torches". It always makes me think of the Sonic Underground, which shows you how much of a geek I am.


	21. Call no man Happy before he Dies

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Call no man happy before he dies."

**DISCLAIMER**: I realise now that we've actually neared the part in my list of phrases where I started to go "umm". It resulted in me not necessary liking what I wrote, but not disliking them horribly either. This one I blame on Silver's very existence. I just… can't… write the poor guy.

* * *

It wasn't that Knuckles didn't like the kid.

Silver was a good guy. Maybe a little too earnest, and way too powerful to make the kind of mistakes he _always_ seemed to be making, but it wasn't as if Knuckles and his passionate gullibility had a leg to stand on there.

For a while, he'd creeped Knuckles out. When he'd looked at Silver, he'd gotten the insane urge to go see Sonic. Not for any good reason – just to make sure he could. Thankfully it wore off after the first few times, but…

Still.

After all, the kid was supposed to be from the future. Knuckles had been to the past, but never the future – it had to be interesting, right? So why the heck did Silver keep rocking up here: two hundred years into his past? History was boring, even if it was someone else's present – there was no reason for the kid to keep showing up to hang out!

When Knuckles finally got the opportunity to ask, he did so by shoving Silver against a wall and folding his arms to look as threatening as possible. He'd always found the direct approach the most effective.

"What, is your time in danger?" he demanded. "Do you think that by saving the day from Eggman your world will be all fluffy bunnies and kittens?"

"Don't be stupid," he said, trying for defiance. Unlike Knuckles' intimidation, it didn't work.

"You wanna explain what you are doing here, then?" he asked. "Maybe you didn't notice, psycho-boy, but we've been doing just fine without you here. So unless you're here to tell us the world's gonna erupt in flames, I don't get what you're doing here."

A look flashed through Silver's eyes that made Knuckles' spine straighten, but he didn't say anything, rubbing his arm nervously.

"I… no. No, the world's not going to…" He shifted his feet. "My time is alright. We've – we've got a villain, but…"

"Are you escaping him?" he asked, well prepared to give up his anger if he had to. _He_ wasn't the type to run away from a fight, but he could understand it when other people did.

Still, though, Silver wouldn't meet his eyes. "No."

The anger ramped up again. "Then _what are you doing here_?"

Silver didn't answer, his eyes flicking everywhere and nowhere at once, but when he finally got the courage to look Knuckles in the eye again, they suddenly became hard, and he straightened up. This time, the defiance worked. "I have to make sure he's okay. He has to live."

"What?" he asked. "Who?"

"Sonic."

Knuckles' arms loosened a little, falling to his stomach instead of his chest. Why didn't this surprise him? "What about him?"

"My time is alright," he said again. "There are people all over the world who live with no idea it could be better. People who go about their lives, every day, just working and eating and sleeping like everything's fine. But it's not. It's not like here."

"Like what?" he demanded. "We've got our own psycho to deal with – several of them, actually. Our world isn't perfect."

"But the people are _alive_," he said, and Knuckles flinched, visions of a world full of zombies in his mind, until Silver continued. "They're so vibrant, they have – they have hopes and dreams and – and – and faith. We're told stories about when the great Chaos came, and how it was the people's faith that saved them, and for the longest time, I thought that was all they were: stories." He smiled, pushing past Knuckles to gaze out over the horizon, as if he could see more than palm trees and the volcano. "But then I came here. And I believe it. Everything's so lush and green and alive… because people have faith they can save things. This world… this time… it's a fantasy but it's _real_. And I know Sonic's the reason why."

Knuckles had turned to the side when Silver pushed him, and he continued standing that way, just staring at the hedgehog's back.

He'd never really thought about how people would remember the whole Chaos thing. All he remembered was days spent looking for shards. But when he thought about it… yes. The people's faith had saved them that day – their faith in Sonic.

He grimaced, realising what that meant. It shouldn't have surprised him, given the tapestry he had hanging on a wall underground, or the dozen prophecies he no longer read because it annoyed him to see a figure of legend grinding on railroad tracks (even if it _was_ the easiest way to get around sometimes and fun besides). But… still.

"Aren't you from two hundred years in the future?" he asked bluntly, and Silver flinched, turning back to him.

"Yes…"

"You know Sonic is mobian, right?" he asked. "That means that even if he survives all the stupid stuff he does, eventually he's gonna get old and die."

Silver blinked at him rapidly. Apparently that hadn't occurred to him.

"I get the time-travelling thing," he said, turning his eyes away to focus on the nothing in front of him, "but I don't think you can stop it moving."

"Sonic won't – he can't die of –"

"Even if he didn't, there's more to faith than Sonic the Hedgehog. He's definitely not the reason I get up in the morning, I tell you that," he said dryly, and turned away, flicking Silver and his concerns off his shoulders. "Whether you keep him alive or not, your world's gonna end up exactly the same. You're the only one who can change it."

"You don't understand," Silver said quietly, and Knuckles stopped, his brow furrowing in annoyance. Silver didn't notice, closing his eyes. "You could never understand."

"Oh, for the love of… what is so wrong with your time?" he demanded without turning around. "Do the people not get up in the morning? Don't they talk to each other? Have fun, work, whatever?"

"Of course they do, it's just the people here are… they're happy. They're –"

"Call no man happy before he dies, kid," he said coldly. He sensed Silver's gaze on his back again, but didn't acknowledge it, setting his hands on his hips. "The people in this time are scared, angry, but above all, they're lucky, and they're _complacent_. And if you call that 'happy', then power to you, kid, but you're not gonna take it through to your time by keeping that idiot alive."

"Complacent?" he asked quietly, and Knuckles snorted.

"Or, I guess, you could say they just _believe_ someone will carry them through the hard times," he said, and turned his head so Silver could see his profile. "You want to give your people that, give them something to believe in. _Be_ something for them to believe in. That's how you'll make them 'happy'."

That all said, he strode into the forest, leaving Silver behind to ponder his wisdom. He was quite proud of that little speech. It had been dramatic. And Sonic hadn't been around to belittle it.

Not that he thought it would actually make the creepy kid go home, of course… he wasn't that good. But maybe it just might give the kid something to believe in.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	22. Don't Worry so much!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Don't worry so much!"

**DISCLAIMER**: So was it the philosophy, the echidna, or the annoying psycho-boy? Let me know and I will avoid in future!

* * *

In Sonia's oh-so-well-informed-ten-year-old opinion, Bartleby was a stick-in-the-mud.

He didn't like gymnastics, or when they went out on the boat. When they all went skiing, he sat in the lodge all day, drinking cocoa. His idea of a good time was sitting around discussing theatre and stock prices.

Which, she supposed, was why he was already considered an adult, while she was still a child, despite his only being three years older. Because he sat around and had adult discussions.

Still, he would watch her gymnastics, and went out on the boat when she asked. When she came home from skiing, he brushed the snow from her hair and smiled indulgently as she gushed. He would sit on the piano stool beside her, just to listen to her play.

And when she didn't score full marks on her practical driving test and said it wasn't good enough, he didn't roll his eyes. He smiled and offered to sit in the passenger seat to see where she'd gone wrong.

"Though it really shouldn't matter to you, Sonia," he said as they climbed inside. "Once you're married, you'll be able to have servants drive you anywhere you want to go."

"I can assure you, Bartleby, that I will not be buying any of Robotnik's servants," she said firmly. "Robotocisation creeps me out."

"Oh, I quite agree. But what of a _robotic_ driver?" he suggested. "Why are you so insistent on driving yourself?"

"I'm not sure," she said thoughtfully, checking the mirrors. "There's just something telling me I'll need to know, eventually."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Or maybe I just don't know when I'll have a husband!" she added, smiling at him. "After all, as Lady Windermere says, no man wants such a wild girl as his beloved."

"I can hardly imagine a man that would not," he replied, and she blushed politely before turning back to the wheel.

"Alright. Now, watch me carefully – I want to know everything I do wrong."

They went twice around the block, and then parked outside a cafe. They took a table out on the street and surveyed the luxurious car Lady Windermere had given Sonia for the day as they waited for their tea and Bartleby considered.

"You were a tad reckless," he said finally. "And I must say rather possessive of the road. You moved into spaces most cars that size would not dare go, and gave little warning prior."

Sonia sighed, sitting back in her chair. "I knew it. I'm terrible!"

"Oh, don't worry so much, Sonia. The problem is not with you, but perhaps your choice of vehicle." He smiled at the waitress that brought them their drinks, but waited until she was gone before continuing. "The reckless abandon is quite a part of who you are, and therefore something you should embrace. A car so… fine as the one Lady Windermere has bequeathed you just… does not fit that person."

She picked up her tea, but only held it in front of her as she gazed at him thoughtfully. It was a good point. "So what would suit me more?"

"Oh, something barbaric, I'm sure," he said with a teasing grin. "What do they call them… dune buggies?"

She laughed. "A jeep maybe!"

"No, a fighter plane!"

"A motorcycle!"

He laughed, but quickly trailed off, his look turning considering. "You know, that's not a bad idea."

"A motorcycle?" she repeated, staring at him. "Me? On a motorcycle?"

"Yes… you know, the more I think of it, the more I enjoy the image," he said, and sipped his tea thoughtfully. "Yes. I can see you very well on one of those vile contraptions."

She set down her tea and put her chin on the back of her hand, smiling at him. "You know, Bartleby, that would do nothing for my wild child image. Someone might consider an athletic girl, but no man wants to marry a biker."

"Perhaps that is all part of my plan," he said mildly. "If you scare away all the other boys, by the time you're of marrying age, I'll be the only one left."

"And what a tragedy that would be," she said, and they smiled at each other, then drank their tea.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

I almost missed my challenge this week. But now, phrase 38 "Only the shallow know themselves" is kicking my butt. Any suggestions?


	23. Next time, I lead and you follow!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Next time, I lead and you follow."

**DISCLAIMER**: Add Rouge for instant story – Ghost, you're a genius! (You don't mind if I call you that, I hope…?) In other news, this is based toward the end of Sonic's time with the Underground, probably after a discussion with the Oracle (which we all know makes him so very happy), which is why gamers will find him horrendously OOC and Underground fans will have to think of very specific episodes to match him…

* * *

Even in the Resistance, mistakes were easy to make. They were just harder to clean up.

"By now, you'd really think we'd have learned," Manic muttered, but Sonia did her best to ignore him.

It wasn't the easiest thing to do, given that they were squished in a pipe maybe half a metre in diameter, tucked in so their feet weren't visible from outside and listening to SWATbot patrols storming only three feet above and around them.

"We seriously need to learn that Sonic isn't gonna learn anything from us," he continued. "Every time we try to teach him a lesson, we're the ones who end up getting schooled."

"Shh! They'll hear you!" she hissed, mostly because she didn't want to hear the truth.

The last week, Sonic had been acting like even more of a jerk than usual, and for the life of them, they couldn't figure out why. He was just being even more secretive, irritable and aggressive than usual, and whenever they asked, he snapped that nothing was wrong and he just wanted to be alone for a while.

It was a side of Sonic that annoyed the heck out of his siblings, and the week of annoyances had culminated in a fight, where they announced that if Sonic wasn't going to tell them what was going on, and just expected everyone to follow his lead, he could go find another set of troops, because they were done.

And then their dramatic exit had marched them right into one of Robotnik's mining crews.

Manic was right… it wasn't fair. When they screwed up, they were always the ones to be punished. When Sonic screwed up… they were still always the ones to get punished!

"Think he'll rescue us?" Manic asked quietly.

"Of course he will," she mumbled. "He always does."

"_Before_ the bots find us?"

She sighed. That was always the variable. "I hope so."

The SWATbots had stopped moving around as much, but their robotic conversation told them they were still looking. They might not have been _The_ Priority One Hedgehog, but they were still priority one: hedgehogs. Searches for them were not given up after ten minutes.

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of a more orderly search being organised, and knew they only had another five minutes, tops.

"We should've picked shelter that was easier to get out of," Sonia noted, and Manic grimaced.

"No kidding."

Another few moments passed in silence as they watched a SWATbot pass the opening of their pipe. It paused just before it moved out of sight, and Sonia instinctively grabbed Manic's ankle, pushing herself back into the shadows. But after a moment, it continued on, and she sighed, closing her eyes in relief.

"I hate it when he doesn't come before the bots," she whispered. "I hate being captured."

"Yeah… not knowing if this is going to be the one time he's not fast enough," Manic agreed, then smiled weakly when she looked at him. "Or if this is the one time he's pigheaded enough to not come after us."

She blinked rapidly, but then swallowed hard past the idea. "He always comes for us."

"Yeah…"

They trailed off, watching opposite ends of the pipe. The bots were coming closer, but not looking directly into them, yet.

"Hey… Sonia?"

"Mm?"

"When me and Sonic were both captured, and Robotnik had us in bot-makers on opposite ends of the city," he said softly. "You went for Sonic because he was faster, right?"

She quickly turned to look at him again, but his expression wasn't condemning so much as curious, and she grimaced. "Well… there were two reasons."

"Yeah?"

"If… if Robotnik had flicked the switch like he said he would… I don't know, I suppose I thought that if Sonic was free, there was still a chance we could help you. Maybe he would make it in time, somehow," she said awkwardly, and then pushed further against the pipe before saying, "And… I guess the bigger reason was –"

"_Priority One Hedgehog_: _in sight._"

They both gasped and reached for their medallions, but there were no bots looking in at them, and they soon heard a voice ring out across the construction site.

"Look, guys, I'm real flattered that you'd take time outta your busy schedules to shoot at me an' all, but can't we skip it just this once?"

"Sonic," they both breathed, and nodded to each other before beginning to crawl out of the pipe. They emerged just in time to see the bots begin firing, and a blue blur shoot up off the edge of the site pit and straight down into a cluster of bots that were soon blown apart by their own fire.

"Seriously, man, I got places to go and siblings to find!" Sonic snapped as he jumped out of the explosion only to grind his heel down on the helmet of another SWATbot. It crumpled under the impact, but didn't slow the bot down, so Sonic curled into a spin that sawed right through it. "I am so not in the mood for you guys."

Sonia and Manic watched quietly as he dodged, kicked and sawed his way through the twenty SWATbots that they'd been hiding from, both getting the same depressed, sinking feeling they always got when watching him fight alone.

"If I was robotocised," Manic murmured, "with all my earth-powers enhanced through the cybernetics and stuff, I might maybe be able to take him on."

"Maybe," she agreed. "But if _he_ was robotocised…?"

Within a few minutes, Sonic was standing alone in a sea of broken bots, and shoved a hand over his quills as he glared down at them. "And still no closer to finding them…"

"Sonic!" Sonia shouted, and he spun around, guilt flashing over his face for a split-second before the anger took over again.

"There you are! I've been lookin' all over for you two. What the heck are you doin' out here?"

"Ex-cuse me?" she cried, even as they hurried over to join him. "I'm sorry, do you not remember us telling you how sick we are of your orders? Because I can go through it again."

"Yeah, yeah, you're sick, I'm bossy, who cares," he said, waving it off.

Manic scowled but didn't comment – he always felt awkward getting rescued by Sonic during an argument. Sonia, on the other hand, clenched her fists and stamped her foot. "Sonic Hedgehog, you are the most insensitive –"

"Get over it!" he yelled, and they both flinched back as he turned away, flinging his hands around as if he could shake the anger off. Maybe it worked, because when he looked back, he wasn't glaring quite as heatedly, though he still growled as he said, "I'm not tellin' you what to do because I feel like it! I'm tellin' you what to do because you're gonna get yourself killed. I've got more experience than you; I know what risks I can take! You guys just ask for trouble! I mean, geez, guys, you storm off in a huff and I have to rescue you twenty minutes later!"

They exchanged glances, and Manic scuffed his shoe in the dirt. Jerk or not, the guy had a point.

"So how about this? You guys learn to trust me for more than just saving your butts after the fact, and believe I'm tellin' you to do stuff for a reason!" he suggested. "Next time, I lead and you follow. No complaints. Just trust that I'm tellin' you to do something because it's going to keep you safe. Okay?"

"Sonic –"

"Or do we have to do this every day?" he asked, gesturing to their surroundings.

It took a few moments, but eventually Sonia sighed and extended her hand. Sonic frowned, but shook it in silent truce, before he abruptly pulled away and gestured again.

"Now come on. We've got a mother to find."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

* * *

Grumpy Underground Sonic is grumpy. And people wonder why Sega is trying to make us forget old canons…


	24. You were born to be my torment

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"You were born to be my torment."

**DISCLAIMER**: I always think Shadow would find Sonic perplexing. Not just in outlook, but existence. Or maybe I'm projecting, who knows…?

* * *

Good and evil were relative, and Sonic had long since accepted that sometimes, he wouldn't be on what most people considered the 'good' side.

But that hadn't really prepared him for coming back to Mobotropolis, and facing what everyone seemed to think he'd done by just not being there.

The sound of metal on metal alerted him to Shadow's presence on the rooftop, but he didn't look around as the other hedgehog walked over to stand beside him, just waited for him to speak.

Apparently, though, coming to find him seemed to be as much of a conversation starter as Shadow could manage, and Sonic had to ask, "What's up, Shadow?"

"You were born to be my torment," he said, and Sonic grinned.

"I get that kind've thing a lot," he said, and turned to face him, folding his arms over his chest. "Why am I so tormenting this time?"

"No one seemed to know where you had come from. You had no family. No past. It made sense to me that with all your powers, your speed, your control of chaos, you were an artificial creation that had broken free of your creator," he said coldly. "I even assumed the reason your never used Chaos Control was because it reminded you of what you truly are."

"Nah, I just don't see the point in gettin' dependent on something that needs an emerald when you can do something else faster and better," he said, smirking when the jab made Shadow twitch.

"I've come here and met your mother, your siblings… I can see in them that you're natural flesh and blood," he said coolly. "You were born like any other hedgehog. So what makes you fast? Why do you have your powers?"

"This is what keeps you up at night?" he asked, deadpan, and Shadow finally turned to look at him.

"It's why I'm here. Why I accepted this mission," he said. "GUN wants to know if Mobius will turn on them when they have the power, but even before I came here, I knew who would stop them if they did."

This time, it was Sonic who twitched and turned away. He didn't like getting his own situation shoved in his face like that.

But Shadow continued regardless, sounding just as frustrated. "I came here to find answers. Was there some ceremony? Did your mother imbue you with Chaos after you were born? Did she know Eggman was coming and change you so you could fight him?" he demanded. "How can you, a so-called normal, common hedgehog do things that I, the Ultimate Lifeform, can't?"

"Dude, how can Amy pull a hammer out of nowhere and whack robots to all hell?" he asked. "She can't even lift a sky key without struggling, but she's got no dramas with that magic hammer."

"GUN has files on her: she only gained those powers after following you and your chaos around."

Sonic twitched again. "You guys are so creepy. Total stalkers."

"Tails is a mutant, and his ability to fly can be explained by that. Unusual, but not even improbable. Knuckles is the Guardian of the Master Emerald, with associated skills and magics. But you…!" he snapped. "What reason do you have? Even if your magic could be explained by your family, at most you should be able to see the future and use mystic items."

"I am so sorry to be strange. Please accept my apologies," he said with a mild grin, but Shadow just continued staring at him. He waited a beat, then snorted and threw up his hands. "Dude, I don't know! I don't care, either. It lets me do what I love doing, so I'm not going to question it."

"You –"

"Okay, how about this?" he asked, and lifted a hand to point at the sky. "Every thousand years, a hero is born! He will be the servant of the wind, controller of chaos, faster than sound, and painfully good looking! He will rescue this world from danger and just hang around looking incredibly cool the rest of the time. I am that hero. Does that work for you?"

Shadow just gazed back steadily. "Is it true?"

"No, it's not true!" he cried, letting his arm drop. "I just got through saying I – oh, forget this. Look. You want some kind of answers, go talk to Knuckles. His people have enough legends and prophecies and nonsense that match up to some of the stuff I do. That, or go find the Oracle of Delphius. He's supposed to know stuff – comes with the 'oracle' thing."

"I just might do that," Shadow noted, and Sonic waved him off, already turning away to head off.

"Whatever, man. I got better things to worry about."

"Like telling your mother you're not staying?" he asked pointedly, but Sonic didn't even pause.

"It's not her I'm worried about. You have met my sister, right?" he asked, and leapt off the rooftop.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	25. Face it, you need me!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"Face it, you need me!"

**DISCLAIMER**: I'm a little bit slow at the moment for a variety of reasons, only one of which is my slow writing at the moment. But ah well. We're on the downward slope now!

* * *

They're lounging around Railway canyon, taking a break that they all know they need, time limit be damned. Tails is tinkering with the massive cannon they just finished blowing up, and Knuckles has spent the hour gliding around the rocks.

He's got no idea what Sonic's been doing. Probably grinding more rails, because he's psychotic like that.

Now, though, Sonic is standing on an outcropping, quietly watching… something. Probably the wind, knowing him and his freaky abilities.

"Hey. The kid almost ready to go?" Knuckles asks as he drops down beside him.

"If we let him, he'd stay here for days," he replies lazily. "But we should probably get goin'. I thought we'd be able to catch up and fly up to the Fleet with these rails, but…"

"Looks like you might have to rely on me and Tails some more," he points out with a smirk, but Sonic just snorts.

"Yeah, right. I'd find a way up there on my own."

He hasn't really been in the mood for a fight with Sonic today, so he just swings a lazy fist and Sonic ducks it without looking. "Yeah, right! Like you could've even gotten here without us!"

"You're right – I would've just skipped ahead to blowin' up the Egg Fleet!" he says. "This whole thing has been easy – piece of cake!"

Normally, that would've been enough to clock Sonic upside the head for sheer stupidity reasons, but the more time he spends with Sonic without breaks, the less prone he is to beating the heck out of him. Instead, he just smirks at him sideways.

"'Cause you did so well against Amy in Metropolis."

He twitches, and then glares at him, but it's dampened by the smile. "Somethin' you wanna say, Knucklehead?"

"Just face it, you need me," he says lightly. "Your weak little hedgehog arms couldn't've made it through those blocks and you would've been totally messed up by that engine."

"Spin-dash, baby. Would've been fine."

When he's been spending too much time with Sonic, in these friendly, allied moments, he'll admit he gets a little childish. "Ba-bawk!"

Sonic whirls around to pretend to glare. "What was that?"

"Widdle baby Sonic is too scared to admit he needs help," he says, and laughs as he catches Sonic's roundhouse kick. "You should be used to it! Pretty little princes are supposed to have people fight for them!"

"Shut up!" he snaps, and even though he's still grinning, it's lessened, and Knuckles realises he might have hit it on the head. He forgets, sometimes, that he's not supposed to know about Sonic's heritage, because most of the time he forgets why it matters.

Knowing him now—happy, independent and carefree as the wind—it's hard to remember the Sonic Underground, and the angry, defiant prince he was. He forgets the way Sonic always had one eye on his siblings; because he couldn't rely on them to take care of themselves, let alone watch _his_ back.

Which is exactly what he and Tails are doing now, Knuckles realises, and drops Sonic's foot, suddenly aware of why it's such a big deal.

For a second, he pauses, almost touched by the faith he suddenly knows Sonic is putting in them.

And then Sonic spins around, slamming a foot in his back, and all his sentimentality gets rammed into the dirt along with his face.

"That's for callin' me chicken," Sonic says cheerfully, dusting off his hands until Knuckles slams his fist into the ground, shattering it and knocking Sonic off his feet.

"_That's_ for everything else."

With both of them sprawled on the ground, Sonic blinking and Knuckles glaring, they exchange looks, silently discussing whether to make this a fight. But before they can make up their minds, a loud engine catches their ears over the sound of the trains, and they both look up in time to see one of Eggman's zeppelins soaring low overhead.

Sonic bounces to his feet, then holds out a hand to help Knuckles up. "To be continued?"

"Count on it," He grins back, and starts sprinting after the zeppelin, knowing Sonic will get Tails and the two will catch him up.

He can count on his team, that way.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

Really should finish that game, one day…


	26. I'm an expert, remember?

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

I'm an expert, remember?

**DISCLAIMER**: See, the thing I like most about the Underground universe is what they didn't say on the show. If you know much about politics in the real world, and then compare it to some of the back-story, or subtext, there's this really lush, complex world. It's just… hidden underneath Sonic the Hedgehog's eco-love and anti-industrialisation. Really well.

* * *

"Cheese and freaking biscuits."

The phrase, while not the strangest thing Manic ever heard from Loiter, was not something he especially liked hearing in the middle of a raid. Because it was the closest his partner ever came to swearing, and that was never a good sign.

"Dude, tell me you didn't," Manic hissed as Loiter looked over his shoulder. They were halfway through these food stores and were carrying more loot than they'd managed to nab in the last three months. The last thing either of them wanted to do was leave it behind because of an alarm.

"I didn't trip anything," he whispered, almost calmly, and Manic frowned.

"Then like… what's the prob', man?"

"I didn't trip any alarms because I realised there are none," he said, and looked over his shoulder, eyes hard and warning. "These aren't Robotnik's stores."

"What? Of course they are," he said, and gestured to the crates of food around them. "Who else would have this much food?"

Rather than answer, he took a step to the side and gestured to the crate he'd just opened. Manic peered inside, and immediately paled.

Guns. The crate was filled with guns. There was only one group on Mobius that used guns, because everyone else knew better.

"The Resistance," Manic breathed, and only the stubbornness borne of a lifetime of thievery kept him from dropping his loot and running for it. He looked up at Loiter, and for a moment they just stared at each other, not sure what to do.

The Resistance liked to think of themselves as the good guys, and there were a few reasons why no one argued. The main one was that Robotnik was a freak and Robotocisation scared everyone. Older thieves talked wistfully about the old days, where if you got caught, you just got put in something called prison. Apparently, it was a kind of cage, but they fed you three times a day and you always had a bed. Manic wasn't sure what the punishment was, but he guessed that was why Robotnik didn't bother with it. Prison even put aside, most people would be happy if Robotnik fell, and the Resistance were doing their best to make sure it happened.

The second reason the Resistance were the good guys was because they took care of kids and old people. Orphans, elderly, sick people… the Resistance took them in and made sure they survived until they could survive on their own. If they never got that ability… the Resistance made sure they were okay until it didn't matter anymore. And that was good, even by thief standards.

But the third, and for the thieves, the main reason no one argued with the Resistance being good guys, was because they had very big guns and they were not afraid to use them. Not even against thieves that were just trying to make a living.

"What do we do?" Loiter whispered.

"We get out," Manic said, and immediately began tying off his loot. "We take what we've got and run for our freaking lives."

"And pray no one sees us," he added, tying off his own. "Cheese and freaking biscuits."

They hurried to the door and peered around the corners, suddenly more alert than ever. Resistance members were just as good as thieves at being silent, but they weren't nearly so good at being invisible. Their version of unseen was to blend in, and out here in the empty streets, any sign of life was strange.

"Okay," Loiter whispered, and gestured to a warehouse across the road. "There's a hidden passage in the office of that building, should lead us back to the sewers."

"Dude, there's a manhole right next door," Manic hissed. "Why risk the street?"

"Relax, man, I'm an expert, remember?" he snapped back. "I know what I'm doing."

"Loiter, we don't know this area," he whispered furiously. "We don't know which buildings the Resistance use. That could be like, their headquarters!"

"We don't know the area, but we know the Resistance use the sewers. We go down a manhole with bulging sacks right outside their storehouse, we are _going_ to get shot," he said, and furiously stabbed a finger toward the warehouse. "The next street over is one of Robotnik's factories. If we're closer to that than we are here, then we can bluff."

"Dude…"

"Stop wasting time and come on!" he hissed, and started hurriedly sneaking across the street. It wasn't easy, but with sudden bursts of speed and use of several streetlights, they made it without seeing anyone. They even made it into the warehouse, at which point Loiter breathed a sigh of relief. It was empty.

"Okay… I think we're okay," he whispered, peering out onto the street. With no signs of life, he stepped back, hitched the bag higher on his shoulder, and started hurrying down the warehouse to the row of offices along the back. Manic followed behind, worrying his bottom lip and staring around, but even his spirits started to lift as Loiter touched the doorhandle.

"So we just find a backdoor, sneak through, and then we're free and clear. No harm, no –" He cut off as he opened the door, and a light immediately snapped on, blinding them both and making the sound of a laser rifle cocking all the more audible. "Cheese and biscuits."

"And bread, and rice, and meat," a female voice continued cheerfully. "You guys were having quite the shopping spree."

Manic cursed under his breath, trying to glare through blinded eyes. "If you were watching, why didn't you get us there?"

"Uncle Chuck here's a soft touch. He figured you'd drop the food and go once you realised who you were stealing from." She paused, and Manic really wished he could see past the light. At least know how many there were. "We don't stockpile it for nothing, you know. We need that food."

"So do we," Loiter snapped. "You aren't the only ones who have to eat."

"Join the cause; we'll feed you all you like."

"I'm not big on risking my neck for a hopeless crusade."

"You're risking your neck stealing from the Resistance," she pointed out. "You know what we do to thieves."

Manic clenched his fists, shifting into a ready stance. The spikes on his wrists weren't just decoration. "Try it. We dodge good."

"C'mon now, kids," another voice said gently. It was much older and friendlier, but thieves didn't fall for that. "Just put down the stores and we can all go our separate ways tonight."

"Not a chance, old timer!" snapped Loiter.

It was a third voice that said, "Guys, just drop the stuff and get out. You're not gonna be taking it home either way, and we ain't got no beef with you if you don't got our beef."

"Like we believe that," Loiter snarled. "Like the lady said: we know what you do to thieves."

The voice muttered something inaudible, and Manic stiffened as the barrel of the laser rifle came into the light.

"Last chance. Take the guys' advice, boys," the girl advised.

Staring down the barrel, and seeing the energy building inside, Manic's hand loosened on his bags, and he began to lower them. He knew when to cut and run. But Loiter wasn't the kind of thief that planned to live long. "Try it, honey."

"Fine."

Later, Manic wasn't sure if his own yell echoed, or if one of the other two voices shouted at the same time as him. But he tackled Loiter to the ground at the same time as the laser shot, blasting a hole in the wall far above their heads.

"What are you doing?" the girl demanded, but Manic didn't take the time to answer, hauling Loiter back to his feet and scrambling for the door.

"The loot –" Loiter began, but Manic just shoved him a little harder.

"Forget it, just go, man!" he yelled.

Another shot blasted over their shoulders as they sprinted down the warehouse, but Manic couldn't help but notice the shot was stupidly wide, and the girl was still shouting, but not at them. Not that it mattered as they tumbled across the street and into the manhole Manic had wanted to take earlier. They didn't stop running until they reached the central tunnels: Thief territory more than Resistance.

Then, and only then, did they collapse against the wall, panting hard and scared.

After almost a minute, Manic shoved his hair back and stared around at his partner to ask, "How are we not dead?"

"M-maybe they're not as scary as we thought?" he suggested weakly, but a snort cut them off.

"No, we are," a voice commented, and they both cried out, recognising it as the third voice from the warehouse. But no shots came out of the shadows, and all they could make out was a small shape leaning against the wall. "How else would I have found you before you even stopped running?"

When it didn't make any other moves, Manic straightened up, pulling his fists up to the ready. "Wh- what do you want? We left your stuff –"

"Yeah. Messages from Uncle Chuck and Sofie," the voice said. "Sofie says: you ever come near our storage quarter again, you're getting a laser to the eye, pretty boy. Uncle Chuck…" He paused, and then suddenly they both had to lunge to catch loaves of bread thrown from the shadows. "Uncle Chuck says the offer stands. New members always welcome."

They stared down at the bread, then up at each other. But by the time they looked up, the shadowy figure was gone, without so much as the echoing steps of someone running down the sewers.

Manic huffed out a breath and tucked the bread into his pack. "I guess thank heavens for soft touches."

"Guess so," Loiter agreed, and they started heading home. "Let's not do that again…"

"So agreed."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	27. A Beginning is a very Delicate time

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

A beginning is a very delicate time…

**DISCLAIMER**: Oh my god. Would you believe this was one of the first—possibly _the_ first—Underground fic I ever wrote? And it's only now seeing the light of day because it _accidentally_ fits the prompt? I fail at this whole fandom thing. Clearly.

* * *

"I thought cars had three pedals."

"The good ones, yeah. But they're kinda hard to come by, since Buttnik doesn't like 'em. His factories only make cars with automatic transmission, and a stick is a real obvious tell, so the underground doesn't bother making things that way. So this only has a brake and an accelerator."

"Cool – less for me to worry about, I guess."

"'Xactly. So, you remember how to start her up?"

"Uh, yeah, it's this one right?"

The groaning screech is enough answer, but Sonic still cringes before managing a weak grin. "Uh, no, I don't think it is."

"Aw shuddup," he mutters, and glares at the multitude of buttons across the dash. There isn't a computer in the world he can't hack, but this isn't a computer. It's mechanical and big and bulky and he doesn't have a clue how it fits together, let alone how it works. But if they're really going to work and live together on the road, their band needs a bus, and Sonic's insistent that all three of them know how to drive it because 'you never know what's gonna happen'.

Unfortunately, Sonia already knows how to drive, somehow, and Manic's beginning to think there isn't a thing in the world Sonic can't do, so that leaves him feeling stupid and alone.

It doesn't help that Sonia's hanging out in the back, doing her hair and smirking at herself in the mirror every time he screws up.

"Okay, lemme try again. This one!" he cries, and stabs his finger against another button. This time there's a quiet rumble, and then a hiss, before the entire van starts vibrating. Sonic grins and claps him on the shoulder.

"Alright, bro! Now, don't touch 'em, but which pedal's the brake and which is the accelerator?"

"Uh… brake's the smaller one?" He winces when Sonia titters in the background, and feels only slightly better when he sees Sonic glaring over his shoulder. He doesn't comment, though, only looks back at Manic, who sighs. "The big one, huh?"

"Usually size doesn't matter much, but yeah, in this case," he says, and they both twist down to peer at the pedals. "Because you often have to stop fast, the underground makes their brake pedals big enough to slam both feet down. Doesn't actually make a difference to how fast you brake, but it means you don't accidentally step on the accelerator or miss the pedals entirely."

"Oh."

"Brake's usually on the left, though."

"Okay."

Sonic glances at him, frowning, but doesn't comment on Manic's lacklustre response as they both sit up again. "Alright. Let's see how you go steering. Belted in?"

Rather than answer, he rolls his eyes and flicks the straps crossed over his torso. His 'well, duh' should be obvious, but Sonic either doesn't notice or care.

"Cool. Remember; always wear a seatbelt when you're driving, okay?"

This time his eye roll is a bit excessive, but Sonia cuts in before he can actually say anything. "You know, sometimes you sound like a public service announcement."

"And sometimes you sound like a whiny little princess, but we all have our quirks," he snaps back, without looking away from Manic. "Okay. Give it a shot."

He barely touches the accelerator, but the van leaps forward, and he yells out, slamming his feet back on the brake. Without visibly moving, Sonic has already braced himself, seatbelts or no, but they hear Sonia hit the floor with a loud grunt. Manic stiffens for lecture, and finds it slightly harder to deal with when instead she starts laughing.

Sonic's fingers drum against the dash, but he forces a smile when Manic looks at him warily. "Chill, Manic. Everyone does that their first time."

"Including you?"

They haven't been together that long, but he's starting to notice that Sonic flicks his left ear when you ask him questions he wishes you didn't. It's very slight, and barely noticeable, but Manic's always been observant.

"Different set o'circumstances," he says finally. "And besides, I jog at a hundred miles an'hour. Hittin' twenty ain't that big a deal to me."

It would be depressing if it wasn't true, and Manic looks back down at the controls, then sighs and tries again.

They're still moving way too fast for his tastes, but looking at the speed-metre-thingy, he sees they're actually only going fifteen kilometres an hour (whatever that is when it's at home), so the logical part of his brain tells him to shut up and stay calm. Besides, now that they're actually moving, he's suddenly realised how hard it is to stay in a straight line. They're on an empty street in the middle of the now-abandoned seamstress sector, but there's a wall coming up and he's not sure he can avoid it and –

"You're doing great, dude. Just remember, the van only turns when the steering does," Sonic's saying calmly, and his hand briefly touches Manic's knuckles, twitching him back to centre.

He blinks, then stares at his hands, suddenly realising he'd been dragging them to the left. "Oh, man, oh man, oh man, I suck at this, I can't – I can't stop. Oh man!"

"What're you talking about, you're doing great!" Sonic says again. "And you can stop anytime! Just lift your foot off the accelerator – don't touch the brake yet, just lift your foot."

He does, and the van immediately begins to slow back to a nicer pace. He takes a breath, immediately calmed, then lets it out again and puts his foot back down. This time he gets up to thirty kilometres, and Sonic grins at him proudly.

"Nice!"

"Oh yeah," Sonia drawls. "Pretty soon we'll be going fast enough to overtake speeding children on roller-skates!"

Sonic's fingers drum a little harder on the dash, and his forced smile is frosty when Manic glances at him again. "Alright, let's give stopping a try. Like I said, lift your foot first and let the van slow a bit," he says, and pauses while Manic does so, before continuing, "okay, now move your foot over to the brake and slowly push down, yeah?"

He does, and they gently ease to a halt, making him grin despite his frustration. Sonic nods at him, his smile looking a little more genuine as he points to the dash. "Can you remember how to park her?"

After a few seconds of contemplation, he decides the button that screeched before might be a good try, and sure enough, the second he hits it, the car stops vibrating. Sonic nods again. "Stylin'. Alright, now turn her off."

That takes a few more seconds, but he eventually remembers Sonic telling him to never, ever press the red button when you're driving, because it cuts the engine. He presses it proudly, and Sonic claps a hand on his shoulder.

"Too easy! What I tell ya? You're a natural!"

Manic grins despite himself, but it fades when Sonia snorts. Sonic takes a deep breath that's clearly meant to be calming, already undoing his seatbelt. "Be right back, bro," he says as he gets up. Manic twists in his seat to watch as Sonic stalks down the van, snatches Sonia by the wrist and then forcefully yanks her out of her seat and then out of the van itself. They disappear from sight, but he can still hear perfectly as Sonic shouts, "What the heck is your problem?"

"What? It's just that you sound so ridiculous! Manic's no better than anyone else on their first driving lesson, but you're heaping on the praise like an elementary school teacher!"

"So make fun of me, not the driving."

"Oh, he knows it's a joke! Besides, he kinda brought it on himself – who doesn't know how to drive by our age?"

"What? Where would he have learnt?"

"Um, I dunno, uh, school, maybe?"

"For crying out loud…" He may not be able to see them, but Manic can almost hear Sonic rub his temples irritably. "Sonia, for the last freakin' time, not everyone grew up like you, okay? Not everyone had teachers and school and –"

"Don't be stupid. Everyone goes to –"

"Out of the three of us, you are the only one who went to school, alright? Majority rules, here. School ain't that common."

"What?"

"Schools are for people who live inside Buttnik's laws. The Resistance does what they can, but it's hard to teach kids ABC's when you're on the run. As for thieves, well… I'm kinda amazed that Manic knows how to read."

"Sonic!"

"It's not an insult, it's a fact. Thieves learn what they need to know. Sometimes readin' ain't a part of that."

Manic shakes his head, once again amazed at just how much Sonic knows about his world. It's true – the closest he's come to school was Farrel's thievery lessons. He'd only learnt to read because you couldn't learn to hack without it.

"Then how do you know how?" Sonia shoots back, and Manic can just imagine his ear twitching.

"My parents, my uncle, whatever. That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"That you either learn to sit down, shut up, and show some support, or you go get your toenails painted or whatever it is you stuck up little princesses do while Manic and I actually do something useful. Alright?"

There's a long pause, and Manic knows his siblings well enough now to know they're having a war with their glares. But he also knows how it will end. Because while Sonia runs hot, her anger always made up of dignity and the moment, Sonic is cold, annoyed by the world around him rather than anything that's actually happening at the time. In these kind of arguments, Sonic will always win out.

And he does, as Sonia's voice lowers to admit, "A beginning _is_ a very delicate time…"

Sonic doesn't answer, but he comes back into the van and smiles at Manic, gesturing back to the controls. "Ready to get back on the horse, lil' bro?"

He hesitates a second, then nods and turns back to the controls. "Only as much as you want a chilli dog."

"And man do I want me a chilli dog! Let's get some lunch after this," he says, and bounces into the chair. "Now, show me what you've got down."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

Learning to drive is always hilarious for the teacher. Not so much for the student…


	28. Stupid should Hurt

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

Stupid should hurt.

**DISCLAIMER**: The 40s are turning out way too heavy. Why are the end prompts all of the grand statements about death, protection and hate? I mean… really?

* * *

"Nice island you've got here."

Knuckles snorted and tossed Sonic one of the wet cloths he'd brought back. "I just work here."

"Good rejoinder," he noted, and then turned to the ball of orange fur beside him. "Hey, little buddy, open up."

"It hurts…!"

"Don't care. Lemme see," he said, but despite his cold tone, he was gentle as he pulled the tails away to reveal the fox himself, curled around his injured limbs. They weren't that bad – they just looked and smelled terrible because of the burnt fur. Sonic considered them for a moment, then pulled an arm free and wrapped the cloth around it. "Well, you're not dying, kiddo. But we really need to get a first aid kit with a good razor."

"Is it gonna get infected?" Knuckles asked as he sat down opposite.

Tails opened his eyes, startled, and Sonic shrugged. "There's only so much you can clean when the fur's still on the damaged skin. But you'll be fine," he added to Tails. "I'll fix up the Tornado and we'll get you down to a city with a doctor."

"_You'll_ fix the Tornado? Into what, more junk?" Knuckles asked, and Sonic swatted at him before snatching another cloth.

"Sonic actually built the Tornado from a broken plane before," Tails piped up. "He's pretty good with simple repairs."

"Leg," Sonic ordered, now that Tails' arms were both bound in cloths.

"Speaking of which," Knuckles continued as he handed over the next cloth. "How's yours?"

Sonic glanced at him, then down at his ankle. It was swollen under his sock, and pounded with every heartbeat, but he hadn't looked at it yet. "It's fine."

"You landed pretty hard."

"It's _fine_," he repeated firmly.

He and Tails had been chasing down a rogue AI fighter jet. While they'd managed to get it out of the air, it had scored a decent shot too, which set the cockpit on fire and shorted out the controls. Luckily, they'd been close enough to crash on the Floating Island, but the landing had been so bad not even Sonic had been able to hold on. He'd gone flying into the brush – his foot in particular had smashed against a very old, very hard palm tree.

Which he was now leaning against, because he didn't hold grudges and he wasn't really feeling up to walking right now.

"So I've been meaning to ask you," Sonic continued, before Knuckles could, "about this island of yours."

"Meaning to ask me when?" he asked. "The time I was trying to kill you, the time you invaded my island, the time we spent trying not to make the world implode from broken chaos emeralds, or the time when you crashed head-first into the shrine and Tails picked you up a minute later?"

Tails raised his eyebrows, intrigued by the knowledge they'd spent more time together than he realised, but Sonic noticed and 'accidentally' made the cloth a little too tight on his leg, distracting him.

"In general. Does this island change when I'm not looking, or are the seasons just really extreme?" he asked, gesturing to the tropical jungle around them, and Knuckles shrugged.

"It changes. A lot. The more chaos that's on the island, the weirder it gets. I haven't seen the desert in years," he said. "When they're not here, the weirdest it gets it probably when the Ice Cap Zone shows up."

"Does anything ever stay the same?"

"Yeah," he said, resting back on his hands. "Trees sometimes change into pillars, rock formations occasionally become buildings, but it's always the same basic idea. The paths don't change."

"What about the emerald shrine? Didn't it used to be underground?"

He grimaced. "I moved the Master Emerald down there, thinkin' it would be safer. Then you came and went from the stupid chamber like it had a flashing door on it—"

"Warp ring, usually," he interjected cheerfully.

"—and Robotnik took it twice with no problems, so why not put it back in the Marble Hill Zone?" he asked dryly. "No safer anywhere else."

"Point. There's this place on the edge of the human territories called the Mystic Ruins. They kinda do the same always-changing thing," Sonic said. "We're thinking about building Tails a workshop there."

He raised his eyebrows, looking at Tails curiously. "You getting sick of life on the road, kid?"

"No way!" he cried. "It's just that… well… I miss tinkering."

"Can't really do it when you're running all over," Sonic pointed out, and ruffled Tails' hair before taking his arm again to check under the cloth. "Ah, see, little buddy? It's just a lot of blood and burnt fur. Barely even a scratch."

"Really?" he asked, and Sonic peeled back the cloth to show him. It was a bit more than a scratch, zigzagging up and around his elbow, but hardly the life-threatening wound it had looked before. Sonic put the cloth back on to keep soaking up the blood, but Tails looked a lot happier for the sight alone.

Of course, that left him free to start worrying about Sonic. "So, what's wrong with your ankle? Is it broken?"

"Tch, no, probably just a sprain," he said flippantly. "I'll be fine in a couple hours."

"Are you sure? Maybe we should have a look at it…"

"It's fine, Tails," he said, stopping him from reaching forward with a look. "It's just what I get for not rolling with the blow."

"Well, stupid _should_ hurt," Knuckles agreed, and Sonic glared at him but then nodded.

"It's a lesson to make me think next time."

"And just to make sure you'll learn properly, we should check out the damage," Knuckles finished, earning a grateful smile from Tails and a flinch from Sonic, quickly followed by another jump when he snagged Sonic's calf.

"Hey, whoa, hold up there, Patch Adams," he snarled, lifting his other leg. "I've got another foot here that can ram a hundred miles an hour into your skull if you touch that sneaker."

"We really should have a look, Sonic," Tails said nervously. "You always make me show you where I'm hurt."

"That's different," he snapped, and Knuckles raised his eyebrow again.

"Because you're a hypocrite?"

"Yes."

"What's a hypocrite?" asked Tails. "It's not one of those people that never stop bleeding, right?"

"No, a hypocrite is someone that can get away with saying one thing and doing another," Sonic said firmly, and then pointed at Knuckles. "So hands off the merchandise."

"Oh, please. You ever tried to run on a broken ankle before? You even try anything and all I have to do is move out of reaching distance," he pointed out. "And if it broken and we don't strap it, you'll end up healing bad, and see how you run _then_."

"Dude, I can limp faster than you can dream of running," he said, and made a point of kicking with his injured leg to lose Knuckles' hands. He hesitated a second, then grit his teeth and stood up, only his shaking leg betraying the pain it caused. "I'm gonna go find some rings. That'll heal us both up faster than any doctor and shut the complaints."

"Sonic…!" Tails cried, but he just flicked the objections away with a wayward hand and stalked off into the brush, his leg half-collapsing beneath him with every step.

Knuckles frowned after him for a few moments, but eventually decided that Sonic was stupid enough to have earned his pain. Stupid should hurt _badly_, after all.

* * *

_T__his is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

Eventually, I'll do a disclaimer or something that puts these fics in chronological order. It occurs to me that sometimes the lack of order is not conducive to easy reading…


	29. We all need a little trauma

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"We all need a little trauma"

**DISCLAIMER**: I am technically cheating because I haven't finished anything for this story since the last post. I have, however, written stuff for real life, and mostly finished 44, except I think I'm going to rewrite it. Aleena wants to keep rambling and Sonic's clearly over the conversation, so I'm going to destroy it. Mwuahaha.

* * *

When Tails had been younger, it hadn't been that unusual for Sonic to wake up with a body curled against his side. He hadn't really minded, and on the rare occasion it happened these days—usually because of an electrical storm—he just grumbled to himself and lifted an arm for Tails to curl under.

So when he woke up, not immediately remembering the night before, to feel a warm body curled against his, his first thought was that Tails was probably starting to get a bit old for this. Not because Sonic had a problem with it, personally, but eight _was_ kinda getting there.

His second thought was that he shouldn't comment, given the position of his arm, and that his head was resting against…

It trailed off there, as his fingers twitched against the head on his shoulder and realised it wasn't fur he was feeling.

Slowly, as he opened his eyes and lifted his head, the day before began filtering back. The fight with Eggman, the explosion, the dinner afterward, hanging out on the couch with Tails and Amy to talk it all out… falling asleep with…

Amy was still out. Her headband was missing, and Sonic vaguely remembered dropping it over the side of the couch because it was digging into his cheek. Why he didn't mind her ear still tickling his lips, on the other hand, was apparently a different matter.

Whatever. Sonic really wasn't one for a whole lot of self-analysis.

So he didn't question it when his hand gently smoothed down her quills a few times, or the soft smile he could feel on his face. He carefully untangled his left foot from her right and began pulling himself out. When she mumbled, jostled by his movement, he paused and lifted his free hand to gently support her head. If his thumb slid across her cheek a few times, a little unnecessarily, as he pulled his other arm free, he didn't notice it.

In the same way, later, he didn't remember brushing his hand down her arm and smiling at her sleeping face before heading out and down to the kitchen.

Tails was already at the table, drinking coffee and eating a plate full of bacon. Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking that stuff?" he asked, snagging a piece of bacon as he walked past.

"Don't you find it a little weird, a hedge_hog_ eating bacon?" he shot back lazily.

"You'll stunt your growth."

"I'll still end up taller than you."

That one actually made Sonic falter when he reached the fridge, because it was disgustingly true. Between the fact he was a hedgehog—naturally small and all that—and his lousy eating patterns when he was a kid, he was pretty sure that at fifteen and a metre tall, he'd gotten as tall as he was going to be. Tails, on the other hand… He huffed out a sigh and ignored Tails' snickering as he pulled out the orange juice.

"You're up early," he noted eventually. "Don't usually see you before ten."

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep. Still jazzed from yesterday," he said with a shrug. "I gave up a few hours ago and started working on some projects."

"Fair enough." He sat down opposite him and grabbed another piece of bacon. Tails frowned at it, but he still had a few more pieces, so he just pulled his plate a little further away and didn't say anything.

Until he suddenly smirked, and Sonic raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"I might've had trouble sleeping, but you sure didn't."

He blinked, then tried not to blush as he realised what Tails was getting at. "Um."

"Thought you didn't like Amy like that."

"I don't," he said immediately. "I don't know what you're getting at."

"Mmhm…"

"What?" he demanded. "You sleep next to me all the time and it's nothing."

Tails lifted his mug and rested his chin on the back of his hands, still grinning.

"Seriously, Tails, get over it," he said, and buried himself in his orange juice, refusing to look at him anymore. "It's nothing."

"I've been thinking," he said, as if changing the topic, "that you could totally run away from Amy any time you wanted."

He shifted to the side in his chair, pretending to ignore him.

"You dodge bullets and lasers all the time, but you can't get away from one little girl? Mm… kind of weird, for all your complaining." He leaned forward a little, his canines glinting in the morning light. "Knuckles always says you string her along…"

"C'mon, Tails, Amy's my friend, I'm not going to disappear every time she shows up," he said, but Tails' smile didn't even twitch.

"So you _don't_ like it when she glomps you?"

"Of course not. It's practically physical assault," he said firmly. "That's why I do the run around."

"Morning!"

They both jumped and watched Amy walk into the kitchen, surprised. She just smiled at Tails, then jumped forward to grab Sonic around the shoulders in a tight hug. "I slept sooo well, how about you?"

He grunted, then groaned when she kissed his cheek before letting go. He swiped at it with the back of his glove, but when he looked back at Tails, he realised his friend was only grinning wider, and then noticed the small smile pulling at the corner of his own lips.

He hesitated, then shrugged and went back to his orange juice. "What? We all need a _little_ trauma."

Tails just snorted and went back to his bacon.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

Also, as always, calm down shippers, this does not reflect my stance on any of Sonic's potential love interests anywhere but the games. Including Underground. Keep breathing, people.


	30. I can't live without my passion

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"I can't live without my passion"

**DISCLAIMER**: I have nothing witty to say and no comment to make. So, because it's been about ten years since I wrote a real one (have I ever, actually…?), a disclaimer: I claim no right to these characters, blah, blah and blah.

* * *

It wasn't easy to get onto Angel Island at the best of times. Even putting aside the occasionally changing landscape, which could be all tropical mountain jungle one day and then multi-zonal, multi-climate, lava, ice and general-freak show the next, sometimes there would be a security system with guns and traps, and even if you managed to bypass all that, sometimes there was an echidna guardian that actually seemed halfway competent.

But today, the island was just a tropical jungle, and the security system was down. So all Rouge had to worry about was the guardian, and, well, honestly…

She hitched her leotard a little more artistically, just in case.

Technically, she was here on a mission from GUN. They needed a Chaos Emerald for their latest experiment, and their scanners said there were several up here. It was easier than searching through special zones or insane areas, and if she could pick herself up a Master Emerald in the meantime…

She glanced around as she reached the top of the shrine, and when she didn't see anyone, clasped her hands to her chest. "Oh, you're so beautiful," she murmured. "And you're finally all mine."

"Okay, while I appreciate the compliment on my stunning good looks," a voice said bluntly, "that kinda just came off as really creepy."

She flinched and looked around, but it wasn't until he pushed himself up onto his elbows that she noticed Sonic lying on top of the emerald. She blinked at him rapidly, and he raised his hand to his brow in a two-fingered salute. "Long time no see."

"You – what – how –"

"Not so good on the talking today, huh?"

"What are you doing?" she demanded. It wasn't so much the shock of seeing Sonic—he had a tendency to show up in the strangest places at the oddest times, and considering his relationship with Knuckles, it almost could have been expected—but more the sight of someone using her beautiful, mystical, incredibly dangerous emerald as a sun bed.

"Hangin' out," he said simply, and propped his head on his fist. "And doing Knuckles a favour. The island's about to change, so he's running around making sure there're no humans up here. Do I need to ask what you're doing?"

She blinked again, setting her hand on her hip. "GUN wants an emerald."

"I'm guessing you're not talking about this one," he said, his free hand knocking against the Master Emerald. It sparkled under his touch like he'd tapped a pile of glitter.

"Oh, don't be silly. That beautiful thing keeps this island in the sky. GUN's not that short-sighted."

"Mmhmm…?"

She tilted her head the better to appraise him. In all honesty, she hadn't really had enough dealings with Sonic to know how to play him. Every time she met him, she was alongside Shadow, or he was with Knuckles, and her attention was forced in other directions. She'd never really had to screw with him before.

"You wouldn't know where the chaos emeralds are, now, would you?" she asked, sauntering over to hover in the air, her chest directly in line with his eyes.

Although he did keep his eyes forward a moment, they calmly rose to meet her gaze as the sight weren't very interesting. She was almost insulted.

"The emeralds gathered here for the change," he pointed out. "I don't think they have a physical form right now."

"So this would be the only emerald on the island?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Seems like it."

"Ohh… well, I do so hate to disappoint," she said, and then whipped around, her leg lashing out to where his head had been less than a second before. The lack of cracked skull was her only warning before a heavy ball of blue crashed into her gut, knocking her out of the air and down six steps. She rolled to a stop with a groan, and peered up to where Sonic was now leaning against a pillar with his arms folded.

"Sorry?" he offered.

"You little…!" She tossed a handful of grenades at him, but he just dodged backward, out of the way of the blast. She leapt back up into the air, snatching more grenades and flying high up over the shrine to throw them all.

As they exploded everywhere, for a moment she thought she might have distracted him, and dove down to grab her emerald, only to have her hands caught, fingers lacing through her own and large palms pushing her back. She snarled as she realised Sonic was standing on the emerald again, grinning at her frustration.

"Anger is not a good look for you," he advised. "Wanton lust does it so much better."

"Let me have my emerald!" she ground out, her wings flaring for more power, but he held her steady as he laughed.

"How about no? I told Knuckles I'd watch his rock, and I'm pretty sure that includes not letting you take it."

"It doesn't even concern you!"

"But it does concern my buddy, so… ya know." And then he suddenly let her go, twisting around to slam his foot against her shoulder and send her crashing back to the ground. She looked up again, holding her head, to see him still standing on the emerald and looking down at her.

"So Rouge, here's the thing. The emeralds and me kinda work well together, with the whole turning-into-Super-Sonic, Chaos Control, blah blah blah thing that we do," he said casually, and scuffed his foot where she could see it cause a reaction. The glitter flew up and around his ankle, the light turning his fur green until it faded again. He raised his eyebrows in point. "I'm currently standing on the biggest emerald in the world, and you're trying to fight me for it. How exactly do you think this is gonna go down?"

"Well, you can't expect me to just give up," she said, flicking her hair back. "GUN ordered me to get an emerald, and since this is the only emerald on the island…"

"You could wait a couple days until the normal chaos emeralds show up," he pointed out.

"When there's an emerald right there, it's dereliction of duty," she argued, and he snorted.

"To heck with that. Take a couple days personal leave and blame Knuckles."

She pushed herself back and folded her hands in her lap, staring at him thoughtfully. After a moment, Sonic sat down too, his legs dangling off the emerald and hands braced between his knees as he waited for her to speak.

When Rouge had only known Sonic from news articles and magazines, she'd thought she had him pegged. The neutral good hero with a smart mouth. She'd thought that with enough pushing, he'd be easy to goad into a darker path – manipulate him into playing a whole new game with no idea what he was doing until it was too late.

But now she knew him in person, he just kept throwing these curve balls at her.

"Aren't you supposed to be the hero?" she drawled. "Honour and duty are supposed to be your trademarks."

He gazed back in amused silence for a moment, his eyes flicking off to the side. "Honour, sure, I'll play that. Duty though, that's… yeah, kettle, fish, black pots, don't do it."

"Come again?"

He just winked. "Try another tack and see how you go."

"Oh…" She brushed her hair back again in thought, then tried, "My honour as a spy –"

"_Errrn!_ Wrong, try again."

She licked her lips and did. "My dignity as a woman –"

"Warmer, but uh, what can I say?" he asked, lifting a hand in a one-armed shrug. "I'm an equal opportunist. No sympathy."

She paused, considering, then raised her eyebrows and cupped her breasts. He gave her another look that stabbed straight through her ego.

"Unless you're fishing for compliments, which I can _totally_ give, nuh-uh."

"Then what?" she demanded, shoving herself upright. "I want my emerald!"

He just kicked his feet, his heels causing soft glows each time they hit the emerald.

"Stealing the impossible is my claim to fame, and gems are the most beautiful things on this world," she said, and flung a hand at the Master Emerald. "That beautiful, impossible, _perfect_ thing is the pinnacle of my career! It's my passion! I can't live without my passion."

"Now that's more like it," he said, but still only hunched forward, as if confiding in her. "But if this—coming out in the middle of the day and having a brawl with one of the most noticeable people on the planet—is your best plan to steal the impossible, Rouge, when even _I_ know thievery is better done in the dark and you're a _bat _with flight and night vision… I mean… seriously. Stealth: do you have it?"

And it was that—not the smirks, or the battle, or the fact that he _wouldn't get off her emerald_—that made her eventually slam her fist into his cheek and give up.

The fact he laughed until she was out of earshot did not help at all.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	31. Now is the time to be strong

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

Now is the time to be strong.

**DISCLAIMER**: I – I've been watching play throughs of Sonic Free Riders. I – I've never really cared about voices before. But – but – I – Shadow. And Amy. AND SHADOW. Oh, god, I'll never be able to take him ssssseriously again!

* * *

He'd never told anyone, but Sonic had met his mother before he met his siblings.

He hadn't known who she was, and he hadn't cared. It was just after his first big fight with Robotnik, on South Island. He was having a very quiet freak out in the lava reef zone.

In hindsight, he knew exactly why he had panicked. He'd run away from everything, and once Robotnik came back, he had been forced to _deal_ with everything. Including the memory of his parents being…

Even years later, that memory could stop him for a few seconds. When he'd been nine and young and stupid enough to blame himself…

At the time, he freaked out about even being freaked out. He'd just kicked Robotnik off South Island _single-handedly_. He should be celebrating, or at least bathing in the praise of his rescuees. But here he was, sitting in the lava reef zone, shivering and gasping for air like he was drowning.

He'd come here because everywhere else was still full of confused people, wandering around feeling like they'd been used as batteries. The few people he'd rescued around here were already gone, and there were enough underground tunnels that Sonic could hole up with no chance of being found.

Or so he thought, until he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He immediately shouted, bashed it away and shot across the tunnel, only to pause when he saw the figure now staring at him.

Long purple hair, bunched up around her face in a fluffy mane from the hooded cloak on her shoulders. Sad blue eyes staring at him like it hurt. Not robotic. That was all he saw, and all he could remember later.

"Sonic?" she murmured, and he instinctively pulled back an inch.

He tried to summon up something resembling bravado. Something stronger than the sob caught in his throat. But all he managed was a thick swallow and to keep looking at her.

Very slowly, one hand extended like she was inching toward a frightened animal, she moved across the tunnel, until she could touch him. Her fingers touched his cheek, and then rose to brush his ear. "Are you alright?"

His ear flicked away from her, and he shifted his weight, drawing himself away from her touch without moving in distance.

"Ask a foolish question," she whispered, her hand pulling back to her chest. "What are you doing here?"

He forced the words out, "Can't a guy just…" then it faltered, and he coughed past the block in his throat. "Who – who wants to know?"

"You don't remember," she said sadly, and stood in silence for a minute, watching the fine tremors work their way over him. She stepped back, into the shadows of the tunnel. "I know not what brings you down here. But know this, young hedgehog: you have great responsibilities ahead of you yet. Now is the time to be strong."

He clenched his fists but didn't otherwise react, waiting for her to bow her head and leave, quickly and silently as she had come. Only then did his cheek lift in a disbelieving cringe, and he allowed himself to gape after her, his panic lost in the sheer…

Years later, he had several excellent descriptors for the way his mother's speeches, notes, and mental messages always left him. Most of them were things he couldn't say around Cream.

But at nine, all he had was confusion, shock at someone telling him to toughen up after he'd just _single-handedly kicked Robotnik off South Island_, and horror that he would face much worse.

He sank to the floor again, but this time his mind was working beyond panicked white noise and into horrifying what-ifs.

None of them came even close to the insanity of reality, though they did touch on a few things he would do with the Resistance. And to his nine year old self, it was more than enough.

"Well," he whispered to himself, pulling his knees up, "you gonna sit here freaking out, or are you gonna get ready to face it?"

And, after another few minutes to get all his feelings and fears into line… he made his decision.

He never once looked back.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

Seriously! Amy sounds like Minnie goddamn Mouse!


	32. Heresy is only another word for freedom

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

Heresy is only another word for Freedom of Thought

**DISCLAIMER**: Two weeks til vacation! I am going down south! I will laugh at drunkards! Conga-conga-conGA!

* * *

Almost three years into their reign as the Council of Four (fourth member still not included), Sonia and Manic were almost used to their new lives. Weirdly, it hadn't been as easy to adjust to as being Resistance members, but they were definitely getting there.

There had been a pretty steep learning curve for both of them, though – while Robotnik was around, no one had ever talked about the old traditions, or how royalty actually worked.

For example, they had quickly found out that if they had been brought up properly, the three of them would have been formally introduced to Mobius at age thirteen. With that introduction, they would have been officially given names, rank, and recognised as adults.

Because they had been in the Resistance, and not technically royalty, they'd never been formally introduced, and so as far as royal tradition was concerned, they were still nameless children, and couldn't be officially recognised as representatives of the crown.

Which was stupid, and didn't really mean anything in practice. Sonia still went out and did the diplomacy thing amongst the people, while Manic was the driving force in rebuilding Robotropolis, whether they were officially in charge or not. The only big thing was that they were called 'The Princess of the Rebellion' and 'The Thief Prince', rather than by name.

But they still weren't considered adults, and so weren't allowed to know a lot of things. And they wouldn't be until their mother saw fit to formally introduce them to the world.

Which, after almost three years, Manic was getting really sick of waiting for.

It had been a long time since he'd picked locks, but even so, he frowned as he felt for the hammers and they didn't immediately spring to his touch. He'd once been the fastest lock-picker in Farrell's gang, but these days…

"Are you seriously breaking into our own mother's office?"

To his credit, Manic didn't even pause, though he did look over his shoulder to make sure Sonia was the only one behind him. Then he turned back and refocussed. "Sure looks like it, huh?"

"Okay, I know I'm going to regret asking this," she said, moving up to lean on the door beside him, "but why are you breaking into our mother's office?"

"Because she keeps harpin' on about how we're all an equal power, and the Council of Four—"

"Fourth member still not included," she muttered.

"—but she's always in here talkin' on that communicator to who knows who, an' won't tell us jack," he said irritably. "I'm sick of being kept in the dark."

Sonia frowned at him for a long moment, folding her arms under her chest. "I'm sure it's just politics. If it were anything important, she'd –"

He let his picks drop and looked up at her from under his hair. "Where's Sonic, sis'?"

"Sonic?"

"Yeah. When we ask Mother, where does she say Sonic is?"

She shifted uncomfortably, glancing off to the side. "Alive and well."

"Uh huh. And where's that? You don't think _that's_ important?"

She licked her lips, shifting again, and then took a step away from the door. "Crack it open."

He went back to work, and while it still took longer than he expected, this time he heard that magic click and the door swung open. He stood up, and they both gazed in at the desk that almost definitely held all their answers.

Now… all they had to do was cross the threshold.

Suddenly, that felt like a big step.

"Who do you think she talks to?" Sonia asked quietly.

"I dunno. The outer baronies?"

"Maybe…" She hesitated another few seconds, then took a deep breath and stepped forward. When nothing happened, she let the breath out, and began striding toward the desk. Still nervous enough to worry about being left behind, Manic quickly followed after and soon overtook her to pull out the computer and sit down.

"Let's see what we got here," he muttered, pulling up the desktop and sliding through the windows. Sonia sat on the arm of the chair and watched as he found the file folders, only to frown at the nonsense that greeted them. "Code."

"Do a search for communicator files. Maybe she records them."

"Good idea," he said, and swiped his hand over the desk to bring up the keyboard. He quickly typed in a search, but they both grimaced as it brought up dozens upon dozens of records. "Whoa. Information overload. Which one do we check first?"

"Well," she said, and leaned over to tap the first one, "the beginning is usually a good start."

It took a moment to load, and then immediately asked for a password, but they didn't need to enter it for Manic to gasp and Sonia leap off the chair in horror.

Behind the password screen, the communicator message was frozen in its opening frame: an overlander looking straight back at them.

An overlander.

Like Robotnik.

They sat in shocked silence for several long seconds, just staring at the flat, out of proportion face. The tiny eyes, the thick nose… Sonia gripped Manic's arm and tried to remember to breathe properly.

"What is she doing, talking to them?" he whispered.

"Maybe… I… it…" Almost compulsively, Sonia's hand shot out and stabbed at the next file, and then the next, and the one after that. Each time, an overlander face hidden behind a password. "She… there has to be some reason. There _must_ be some reason; she wouldn't be talking to them without one."

"Notes. She's gotta have notes on here somewhere," Manic flicked her hands away and started furiously beating away at the keyboard, searching for unencrypted files. "She – this can't be what it looks like. I remember – Cyrus told me, this is how we got Robotnik in the first place: her talking to overlanders."

She watched him for a moment, then set her jaw and shoved him out of the way to take over. "I'm better at cracking code than you," she said in explanation, and he blinked but couldn't argue.

Neither of them noticed the dark figure appear behind them, watching in amused silence. They remained oblivious, right up until a long green finger slid between them to lightly tap the screen and freeze it, mid-encryption.

"D'yargh!"

"I am sorry, children," said the Oracle of Delphius, even though he clearly wasn't. "I did not mean to frighten you."

"O- Oracle!" Sonia gasped, clutching her chest, and he bowed his head in greeting.

"You seek answers, a commodity I deal in," he said. "But only when I know the receiver worthy can I provide knowledge in good conscience."

"Ah… um… what?" asked Manic, and the Oracle chuckled.

"You can give us _answers_?" snapped Sonia. "You haven't given us any answers in four years! Why should we believe you now?"

"I gave answers, when the reason was great, or the question worthy," he said, and spread his hands with a knowing smile. "Your brother learned much from me; more than he wanted to know, at times."

"He did?" They exchanged glances, but Manic was the one to lean over the chair in interest. "Like what? He never told us –"

"Which is why I could give him answers." The Oracle slowly moved around to stand on the other side of the desk, and pressed his fingers together, bowing his head so his trunk balanced on the very tips. "He did not blindly follow what he was told, no matter how much he wished to. And now, I see the two of you are finally doing the same."

They blinked at each other again, then at him. He smirked.

"Heresy is just another word for freedom of thought, young hedgehogs," he advised. "And until one has the ability to think for oneself, one should not be given free reign over too many thoughts. Now, I see you questioning your mother, and your place in this world. That warrants reward."

"Excellent!" Manic cheered, but Sonia only frowned deeper, folding her arms warily.

"What kind of a reward? Exactly how much are you going to tell us?" she demanded. "Are you going to tell us where Sonic is? What Mother's up to?"

"Some answers should be found the hard way," he said, and Manic immediately stopped grinning.

"Wait, what? Then what –"

"You have questions, and a mother to answer them," he said, but then reached out to touch the computer again. It flared with a bright light, and when the light faded, the screen had only a single folder on it, filled with unlocked image files. "But I can give you ammunition for that battle."

They frowned at him, but the temptation was too much. Manic opened the first file, and they both flinched.

Staring back at them was a picture of Knuckles the Echidna, smiling at an oddly-shaped emerald in his hand. The image was black and white, looked like it had been taken from security footage, and Knuckles didn't seem to have noticed the camera. The weird thing was that judging by the background, he wasn't on his island, but rather some rich-looking building, decked out with bright lights and shiny surfaces.

"What is this?" Sonia murmured, reaching out to expand the image. "Why did you give us this?"

"These are images given to your mother by the humans," the Oracle explained. "Part of a story—a life—you both desire to know of."

Manic glanced at him, then swept onto the next image, and immediately snatched at Sonia's hand as she flinched away.

But the longer they looked at the black and white still, the more they realised they _weren't_ looking at a picture of their brother. The dark hedgehog just looked painfully like their brother might have, now he would have gone through his growth spurt, if he'd taken to styling his quills up and grown his chest fur long. The scowl was the same, and the stance with folded arms was hauntingly familiar. But the markings were wrong, and besides – their brother would never stand so peacefully beside a robot. Along with the strange machine, the hedgehog was also joined by a white bat, who was giving the camera a mock-salute and posing to show off her ample chest.

Sonia gently reached out to swipe onto the next image, though her fingers trailed from the screen at the colour picture. It could have been an advertisement for hover boards, given how many people in the image had one, and the focus was quite clearly the three birds in front. But Knuckles was there too, goggles around his neck and arm raised in triumph. And… leaning on his shoulder…

"That… that can't be…" Manic whispered, zooming in.

It was a blue hedgehog, skinnier than the dark one had been, wearing a broad, easy going smile. His quills were almost as long as Sonia's, but worn loose, and his green eyes drew your attention, the exact shade of a chaos emerald.

"He… he looks our age," Sonia murmured, "but Sonic – that man…"

"He's _way_ too happy," Manic finished for her.

And it was true. Sonic had been a joker, but the only time they saw him actually smile was when they played music. And this hedgehog… that _smile_… Not a smirk, or a nasty grin because he knew something they didn't, or the baring of teeth in some futile mask of innocence. It was a real smile, and he was comfortably leaning on Knuckles like it was no big deal.

That wasn't something their brother could do.

He was standing behind a fox that was the focus of the fourth picture. From the new angle, they could see the fox was actually a mutant, with two tails. But they barely noticed; their eyes drawn to the familiar white-strapped sneaker just visible in the corner of the shot.

"It… do you think…"

Sonia bit her lip and looked up at the Oracle, who merely smiled and gestured for them to continue to the last image.

Manic hesitated, but moved on, and his breath caught in his throat. Sonia squeaked and slapped both hands to her mouth.

It was a monster.

A massive, hideous creature, all rough fur and teeth, currently bared in a snarl that showed their devastating length. The light of the moon behind it masked most of its colouring, but glinting green eyes glared at them from behind heavy brows.

But the focus—their focus—was on the curved, vicious claws, outstretched and reaching for the camera.

Coming to tear it and everything else to shreds.

Coming for them.

"A hint of what exists beyond your queen's sheltered walls," the Oracle murmured, "knowledge you may yet find useful."

They stared at him, and he lifted his head in challenge.

"The question, dear children, is whether you will blindly follow your mother's teachings… or will you use this knowledge and find freedom in heresy? That is the true answer to be sought."

And with that, he disappeared, leaving them to stare at the place he'd been, and the image of the monster he'd threatened them with.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

More foreshadowing for the story that will never be! Hooray!


	33. The Meaning of Life is that it Stops

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

The meaning of life is that it stops.

**DISCLAIMER**: This was such a depressing prompt. It took me ages to fill because it wanted to be either overly angsty or life affirming. -sigh-

* * *

It was a little weird to meet his friends in other worlds—weirder still to know that _he_ existed in other worlds—but he was getting used to it.

It was more disorienting than distressing now, particularly if he spent more than a few days in the world, because he'd form friendships with them that were kind of different to the ones he had at home. Because here, they weren't Shadow, Knuckles and Tails, they were Lancelot, Gawain and the Blacksmith.

Here, the Blacksmith didn't have time for a friendship, and was much more interested in having a conversation with a sword than a person. Sonic hadn't really spoken to him since taking Caliburn back for a celebratory sharpening.

Knuckles adored his Master Emerald and lived for its safety – Gawain adored his king, and would do anything to see him succeed.

Sonic looked up over the wood he was planing to where Gawain was napping in the sun. When he thought about it like that, they were pretty similar; Knuckles and Gawain. They were both so devoted… all that changed was the cause.

He smiled and went back to his work, letting his mind wander further as he did. Woodwork was something he'd learnt because his foster father had been teaching him just before he was arrested. To keep learning was Sonic's first act of defiance against Robotnik, however nonsensical it was. It wasn't the most useful skill Sonic had, but he'd found reasons to use it over the years.

"I ask only because I know your answer will not be what I expect," a voice commented, and Sonic looked up again to see Lancelot stride into the courtyard, his hand on Arondight's hilt. "Why are you carpenting, sire?"

"Why are you callin' me 'sire', Lance?" he shot back, but Lancelot just raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to answer. He shrugged to himself and went back to the wood. "Your metaphor was lackin' a tangible element."

"You are making us a round table," he said blankly, and Sonic grinned.

"Can't be knights of the round table without one."

"We have managed for many years now."

Sonic just smirked and continued on, while Lancelot thrust his sword into the dirt beside Gawain's Galatin and bowed in a weird ritual Sonic was still working out. It was something all of the knights did when he was outside and they wanted to spend more than a few minutes with him. He suspected it was a throwback to the big battle, and some sign of allegiance, but he wasn't spending too much time thinking on it.

"You are a man of many skills, sire," Lancelot noted as he moved to stand beside him.

"And you're a slow learner," he replied. "Say it with me now: Son-nic."

"Si-ire," he shot back, and Sonic snorted. It was hard not to, when the doppelganger of Shadow the Hedgehog—Ultimate Lifeform and emo-hog extraordinaire—was proving he had a sense of humour.

That was probably the weirdest thing of this whole experience. He _liked_ Lancelot. Sure, he was a jerk and arrogant and just generally Shadow-like… but the guy had a sense of humour and respect… he wasn't just a good guy under the bad, in this world – he was actually a really cool guy that Sonic _liked_ hanging out with.

They continued in silence for a few minutes, Lancelot just watching him work, before he said, "I would like to ask another question, if my liege allows."

"Wouldn't know. Merlina hasn't found him yet," he said with a grin, but Lancelot didn't smile back. The fact Merlina and Nimue were scouring the land in search of this world's Sonic—or, Arthur, as he was probably called—was something Gawain and Lancelot were having trouble accepting. They'd grudgingly accepted Sonic as king and be damned if they were going to give him up easily. After a few seconds of level staring, Sonic sighed and waved his plane in Lancelot's general direction. "Ask away, dude."

"Why did you raise your sword against the throne?" he asked quietly. "The dark king did not threaten you; only Merlina. Why did you fight him?"

"Big scary lookin' dude threatening a little girl?" he pointed out. "Not hard to tell who's the bad guy there. Well… in theory. Not so much in practice this time around, but hey: live and learn."

"Somehow I doubt you have learned from this experience," Lancelot deadpanned, and Sonic straightened up, resting his hand on his hip.

"I dunno, actually. There are a couple little things I didn't know before," he said slowly. "I always said I just did what I thought was right at the time, but I'd never actually been the bad guy before. Kinda cool to know I'll do it."

"I hardly consider saving townsfolk and crying children 'bad', sire."

"You thought I was evil," he argued. "And the only townsfolk I actually _rescued_ were in gaol – maybe for good reason. I don't know. Goin' against the crown ain't exactly Lawful Good, y'know."

"Lawful… Good?" he repeated blankly, but Sonic just grinned and went back to his table.

"Ah, shoulda known. Pop-culture references are lost on pop-culture references."

"Yes sire," Lancelot said blankly, and he snickered.

"And I think I came to terms with something that I've been kinda running away from for a few years now," he continued lazily. "Royalty and heroics and whatever."

Suddenly, he had all of Lancelot's attention, and Sonic realised this was possibly one of the reasons the knight had come to talk to him. He rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling despite it.

"In my own world, I'm kind of a prince. Didn't grow up as one, but my mom is queen," he said, waving it off. "For a while now, I've been kinda… avoiding the fact."

"As you are now?" he asked, and Sonic shrugged.

"Different motivations, but yeah. Here, I'm just not meant to be _your_ king. There, I just wasn't comfortable with everything a king has to be. Prepared to make decisions that change people's lives, telling people what's good and bad, making laws… it creeped me out." He paused and looked up again. "For a while, I wasn't sure whether I was running away from all that because I didn't think I should be the one doing that, or because I was scared of the responsibility."

Lancelot moved around so he was directly in Sonic's line of sight, even when he lowered his head to the wood again. "And? What have you found?"

"It's not about right or wrong, or responsibility, or whatever," he said, and then gestured to the swords sitting upright in the ground, and Caliburn, lazing in the sun near Gawain. "It's about doing what I can to help the people who need it most. It's what I'm meant to do. No matter what that means."

"And you do not believe you can help people most by leading them?" Lancelot guessed, and he nodded.

"The little people need rescuing too, sometimes."

Lancelot just gazed at him in silence, folding his arms over his chest. On Shadow, the movement was always defensive, but Lancelot just made it look comfortable and thoughtful, and Sonic lowered his head, weirdly confident that he wasn't going to lose it around this guy.

He'd never say it out loud, but… he kinda liked this. Knuckles relaxing nearby, Shadow hanging out and chatting with him… knowing that if anything happened, they'd both have his back, no questions asked. It was… relaxing. Nice, even. He –

"You are the king I always wanted to serve."

Sonic's hand slowed, but he refused to stop and focus on Lancelot now that he'd gone and spoiled the mood. Talk about a buzz-kill.

But Lancelot didn't seem to have noticed, and continued as if commenting on the weather. "The King Arthur I swore allegiance to was but a shadow," he said. "He preached equality and honour, but at the end, he was but another king, who stood above us all. He spoke of round tables… you build one. You are the king, and the ideal, I wanted to live and die for."

"Dude, that is so not as flattering as you think it is," he said bluntly.

"It was not a flattery, but the prelude to a question," he said, and reached out to place his hand over Sonic's and hold it still. Sonic pulled back, not sure whether to be creeped out or not, especially when he looked up to meet Lancelot's heavy gaze, but he couldn't really free his hand without whacking one or both of them with the plane.

"So?" he prompted awkwardly. "Ask away."

"Why, when you are everything this kingdom dreamed of, do you command us follow another?" he demanded. "You could still help the little people. Still save this kingdom from dragons and evils that may blight it. Why would you abandon us to some… some child we know not for sure even exists?"

Sonic stared at him warily for a long few seconds, narrowing his eyes.

He remembered the stories of King Arthur. They'd been his foster mother's favourite. The stories of Gawain, Arthur's most faithful champion, and Lancelot, the greatest knight that ever lived… he also remembered how they ended.

Merlina had said it herself, though the knights didn't seem to have picked up on it. Lancelot would betray Arthur for love, and then eventually start a war with Gawain. Even if Sonic did stay, he knew his time here would only last until Gawain asked him for help on the battlefield. The stories all said he died there.

But that wasn't why he didn't want a part of it.

"You wanna know the meaning of life, Lance?"

"You have already taught me such," he said quietly. "The meaning of life is that it stops. We must take care to cherish that time we have."

"Well, yeah, but I meant more uh… metaphorically," he said, and gently pried Lancelot's hand off to point the plane at him. "You wanna know how your story ends? What your _point_ is? What you're gonna do with the rest of your life? Because I can tell you."

He blinked once, then twice more, an odd expression coming over his face, and Sonic smirked.

"Scares the heck outta you, huh?" he asked. "That's cause people don't _want_ to know. I know I sure don't. Last thing I could ever want is for someone to tell me how I'm gonna die, or what my greatest adventure will be, or anything like that. But if I stay here, and be Arthur… Dude, I've read the stories. I remember most of them, too. Sure, this whole Merlina thing wasn't in 'em, but the general idea's still there.

"You know how I said that the fun part is making the most of the time we have?" he asked. "Well, part of that is the surprise of finding out what's next. Of taking risks and chances… aren't you even the tiniest bit curious about what the real Arthur's like? The one Merlin didn't pull out of a hat?"

Very slowly, Lancelot tilted his head a little in very slight interest, and Sonic grinned, reaching over to shove him playfully.

"There you go! Never know; he might be even more awesome than me! Practically impossible, I know, but there's always a chance!"

"You are… very strange, sire," Lancelot said slowly, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. "But I will heed your wisdom. For now."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take my victories where I get 'em," he said, and then hauled the wood up and pushed it into Lancelot's arms. "Now hold that while I drill or this table ain't going to stand up for long."

"And this table must last for generations," Lancelot murmured, and Sonic nodded.

"Or at least until the story ends."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

I loved the Black Knight… I wish I could actually summon the hand-eye coordination to time my sword swings against Arthur…!


	34. I'm not unwell, I'm ing dying!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"I'm not unwell, I'm _ing dying."

**DISCLAIMER**: Ahem. In an effort to keep this to its rating, the title had to be uh… altered. Not that the rules actually say that. Because they don't mention swearing until late in the rating system. They mention blood. Guts. Violence… kind of the opposite of real life rating systems, come to think of it.

* * *

There weren't many reasons for Sonic to stop by the Chaotix's detective agency. He didn't know them all that well, and on the rare occasion he needed it, he'd generally do his own detective work.

Not to mention they kind of sucked at it anyway.

But they had called Tails looking for him, so he guessed it was only right that he should make an appearance.

His fist stopped an inch from the door when he saw the wood shaking, however.

"Huh," he said, and decided to just open it instead. The office was empty, and although there was paper everywhere, mess was mostly par for the course with Vector and Charmy, so he couldn't get too concerned. He walked into the middle of the room and set his hands on his hips, looking around for some kind of hint of why he should be there.

When Espio suddenly appeared, hanging upside down an inch from his nose, he was pretty proud of the fact he didn't scream and bash him like the piñata he looked like. Okay, so he yelled out and jumped back three feet, but he didn't _scream_.

"Sonic," Espio said quietly. "You came."

"Geez…" he muttered, rubbing his chest. "Give a guy some warning, wouldja?"

"Please keep your voice down," he hissed. "Or else he'll –"

"Sonic! It's terrible!"

Espio sighed as Sonic looked up at the stairs, where Vector was stumbling down, wrapped in a thick blanket and wearing what looked suspiciously like fuzzy slippers. Sonic raised an eyebrow at them as the crocodile hurried over to grab him by the shoulders. "Sonic! You're a hero, right? That means you do good for free!"

"Uh…"

"You better!" Charmy said, zooming down the stairs to hover next to Sonic's head, his sneakers nearly bashing him in the ear with every movement. "Because we sure don't have any money to pay you!"

He ducked away from the bee and out of Vector's hands. Even for a crocodile, he looked kinda… slimy. "What's going on?"

"It's terrible!" Vector cried again. "One of our enemies has begun a scheme of _revenge_!"

Sonic blinked, then looked to Espio, who was still hanging upside down, though his eyes had closed and he was rubbing his temple. "You guys have enemies?"

"Of course we do! We're first-class detectives!" Vector roared, only to choke on the last syllable and break down in a massive coughing fit that made his tail whack the floor. Sonic zipped back another metre and tried to avoid Charmy; who was now flying backwards and forwards and singing about their doom. At least he knew why everything was shaking, now. He was kind of amazed Vector's tail hadn't brought down the whole shack.

"It's terrible, it's terrible, it's terrible! We're _doomed_!"

Espio sighed again and opened one eye to meet Sonic's gaze. "I did try to call Tails and tell you not to bother…"

"No, Espio!" Vector said, as he managed to stand upright again. "You can't do this alone! You could be next!"

"Hold on," Sonic said firmly. "Slow down, and someone tell me what's going on. Who's this enemy and what's he done?"

"The cold virus," Espio said irritably, "has attacked Vector's immune system."

"Stop being so optimistic!" Vector snapped back. It was pretty impressive from a crocodile. "I'm not unwell, I'm—"

"We'll never make it!" Charmy wailed, over the top of Vector's curse.

"—dying!"

"…From a cold," said Espio.

"A highly advanced, artificially constructed biological weapon that—"

"—seems an awful lot like a cold?" Sonic asked Espio, who nodded once. It was an odd movement when he was still upside down.

Vector tried to object, but whatever it was quickly turned into a hacking cough, and Sonic quickly moved to shield himself behind Espio.

"Doomed!" Charmy sang again. "We're all going to die from horrible, horrible sniffly noses and sore throats and bad headaches! We're doomed!"

"So uh, what exactly do you want me to do about the uh," Sonic bit his lip, shooting Espio a grin, "biological weapon?"

"Nothing," he said, taking advantage of Vector's coughing fit. "I thank you for coming, but as you can see, it wasn't necessary."

"Nah, man, it's cool!" he said cheerfully. "Like the kid said: I'm a hero. We do these things."

Espio frowned, glancing at Vector, who was panting hard as he tried to breathe. He hesitated, then said awkwardly, "If you had some medicine we could use…" He paused, and a flick of his eyes told Sonic he was a little more worried than he let on, just in time for his expression to shut down into ninja-mode again. "Or at least something that could knock him out while his body heals."

He smirked. "Amy's hammer'd do the trick."

But Espio just gave him a long, even look, and Sonic chuckled.

"Chill, man. Yo, Vector, head on up to bed, buddy," he said, and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "I'll track down the evil doers and get the antidote, no sweat!"

"For free?" Charmy asked, flying into his face with hands clasped.

Sonic just laughed again, gently pushing him out of the way. "Call it a favour. Be back in a flash."

"I'll see you if I'm not dead," Vector moaned, and went back to bed.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

Ahh, the Chaotix. I wish I'd had reason to write more of you…


	35. If you obey all the rules

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

**DISCLAIMER**: A short one. Which is problematic, given that I won't be near the internet on Saturday to post the next one. Oh well!

* * *

Sinbad was a side of Knuckles Sonic didn't often see, but it was a side he could identify with. It was the part of him that yearned for adventure and treasures that couldn't be valued in gold.

But for all that, he was still Knuckles, and so travelling with him often resulted in two things: constant arguments and _rules_.

"We told the Fortuna we wouldn't take the ruby," he said stubbornly, and Sonic let it go with a sigh, turning with his hand on his hip.

"I know."

"So why did you touch it?" he demanded. On the other side of the cavern, inspecting a flying carpet, Ali Baba rolled his eyes but said nothing, already sensing the argument.

"Look, buddy, look here," he said, and pointed to a spider-web crack around the base of the dais. "This is a trap. You completely remove the ruby from the dais, it triggers this, and you end up having to run from a boulder or something."

Sinbad continued staring at him. "And?"

"Don't you want to see what it does?" he asked. "And what's so great about this ruby? It's a ruby. There are a million other rubies in the world and this one ain't that big. What's so awesome about this one that it has a trap and we're being told not to take it and blah, blah, blah?"

Like Knuckles, Sinbad had very expressive eyes. There was a very distinct glimmer of interest there. But still. "It's the centre piece. Also, for the Fortuna, it is a sign of our trust. If we break her promise, she has no reason to trust us and will likely turn against us."

"_Or_ it could be a sign of our daring. That we know taking this will lead to bad things and that we should take it anyway."

"You're a fool."

"And you're a knucklehead, what's your point?"

"Ali Baba," Sinbad called. "Tell this fool he is being more foolish than is common for him."

"No, this sounds about the same level of foolishness as usual," he said wearily, hefting a bulging pack of treasure onto his back. "I agree with Master Sinbad, Sonic. We promised not to touch the ruby, and I believe we should honour that promise."

"Oh, come on, guys! If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun!" he cried, gesturing to it again before refocussing on the fox. "Besides, you're stealing half this cavern, little buddy. I am not taking moral lessons from you."

Ali Baba grinned. He had come in with two pierced ears and bangles, but was now wearing enough gold to sink a ship, and aside from his bag of treasure, was also carrying several carpets under his arm. "That which has no clear owner cannot be stolen. That ruby, however, has been claimed by the Fortuna and we should not take it."

"You guys are so _boring_!" Sonic whined, but he left the ruby where it was. Fun was one thing, but he wasn't about to put these guys in danger when they really didn't want to be.

Which made it that much sweeter when Sinbad snatched the ruby on the way out.

"What?" he asked Ali Baba, who was just gaping at him as the trapdoor above opened, releasing a tidlewave of very heavy, _deadly_ gold coins. "She did say 'when you enter the cave, do not take the ruby'. Now, we're _exiting_ the cave."

"I love the way you think!" Sonic crowed, and snatched up his two new friends to begin outrunning their doom.

It was the only way to live.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

In other news, I have discovered the answer to Australia's drought. Check the weather and see it won't rain until Thursday. Do your washing very early on Wednesday morning so you can hang it out before work. Exactly eight and a half hours later, when you are on your way home from work, it will begin pouring down and a severe weather warning will come on the radio. That's anti-drought measures.


	36. Bad taste is better than no taste

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

Bad taste is better than no taste

**DISCLAIMER**: And I'm back. Let's hope the coming week at home is better than my weekend away!

* * *

"You know," Sonic said casually, dishing out the sausages, "these two don't believe me when I say you can keep up."

Tails lifted his carefully watchful eyes from Sonic's hands just long enough to determine he wasn't talking about speed. Then he snorted and went back to making sure Sonic wasn't going to steal anything before they started. "Only thing special about you is your heathen dislike of cheese."

"Don't use words like that like that," he said, absently whacking Tails' fingers with the tongs before putting out the last sausage.

Already at the table, Sonia and Manic were cringing at the ridiculous amount of hot dogs laid out in front of Sonic. Manic had agreed to join in just to prove Tails didn't have any connection with Sonic that he couldn't match, while Sonia was just intrigued by this new personality her brother had developed and needed to know more. But they hadn't really been prepared for the sheer mountain of chilli dogs Sonic was preparing.

"We're gonna have so much of this left over," Sonic said in challenge, shoving a bowl of grated cheese at Tails' chest.

Manic couldn't help but agree. It was a huge bowl, and the cheese was piled in, but as Tails had pointed out, Sonic didn't really like cheese that much. But Tails just smirked without looking away from Sonic's hands. "Nah, you'll have to give up the race to grate more, chef."

"I don't have your bad taste, little buddy, and you can bet I'll be done before you put a dent in that pile."

"Bad taste is better than no taste, which is what you have to have if you don't love cheese. Which is why I deserve to get all these dogs."

The chilli was ladled out carefully with an even coating. When one dog appeared to have even slightly less than the others, Tails would make a warning noise and Sonic would spoon a little more on.

"He hasn't even started yet and I'm gonna be sick," Sonia murmured as the chilli dogs were placed on a huge platter and hefted on to the table. Manic swore it creaked under the strain.

"Siblings first," Sonic said cheerfully, as he and Tails sat down on opposite sides with challenging glares at each other. Hesitantly, Sonia and Manic picked out their chilli dogs, coating them with cheese to dull the flavour a little. Their pick left a good twenty-something left.

Sonic and Tails eyed each other over the pile, their fingers drumming on the table.

"Uh…" Sonia raised her eyebrows at Manic, who shrugged back. They hesitated, then said, in unison, "Go?"

The result was instantaneous. They lashed out with both arms and snatched a dog each, and the siblings immediately lost their appetite. It was like watching a pair of vacuum cleaners. There had been twenty-something in the pile – within thirty seconds it was in the teens. Sonic took his chilli dogs in three bites, which actually slowed him down, because Tails practically swallowed his whole. But he had to coat them with cheese first, so they matched each other dog for dog.

Soon the platter was gone, and the two were eyeing off the untouched chilli dogs on Manic and Sonia's plates. In silent agreement, they shoved the plates away. Sonic snatched Manic's and Tails was on Sonia's, and then, the food was gone.

"Oh, man, that was good," Sonic groaned, and Tails sat back in his chair with a content sigh.

"You make the best dogs, Sonic."

"I have never been less hungry after not eating," Sonia noted, "in my whole life."

"I am never eating again," agreed Manic. "That was…"

"There are no words," Sonia said, cutting him off before he could find one. "Please, let there be no words to describe what that was."

"No words," Sonic agreed, and gestured to Tails. "So to describe it…?"

Looking altogether too pleased with himself, and not just because of the feast but at least partly because of the look on Manic's face, Tails let out a loud, approving belch. Sonic applauded, grinning at Sonia's groan.

"Okay, I believe it now, you really are my ridiculous, immature, utterly disgusting brother," she said, and pushed herself to her feet. "And I hereby disown you for your lack of _taste buds_."

"Hah! She even agrees with me!" Tails cheered, and was rewarded with a slap upside the head as she passed.

"You're just as bad."

He blinked at the slap, but Sonic just smirked. "Take it as a welcome to the family, little buddy."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	37. The Most Beautiful Things in this World

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"The most beautiful things in this world are the most useless."

**DISCLAIMER**: I'm pretty sure I might be self-inserting with the villain here…

* * *

Sonic blinked, snorted, and then struggled to get his grin under control.

"Oh, shut up."

That was the breaking point, and Sonic collapsed against the wall, giggling loudly at the absurdity of it all. Beside him, Tails sighed and gave the stranger an apologetic look, but because Sonic had paused before setting the guy free, didn't make any moves to help either.

"It's just – and this – and you – so awesome!" Sonic gasped, slapping the wall.

"Um… Sonic?" Tails prompted, poking him. "What's going on?"

"Oh, oh Tails-buddy, Tails!" he spun around to grab Tails by the shoulders, and then turned to gesture grandly at the captive like he was an epic vista. The stranger scowled, and honestly, Tails couldn't blame him. The poor guy was hanging from the wall by his wrists in the middle of an enchanted castle that was home to the most psychotic witch Tails had ever met. Judging by the velveteen rabbit ears and massive pink bow tied around the guy's neck, she'd already had her fun with him.

And Sonic was still giggling.

"Um… Sonic, don't you think we should let him down first?"

"What? No, no, no," cried Sonic. "You don't understand. He has a professional reputation to uphold! Let me introduce you to the greatest, fiercest, most terrifying bounty hunter in all Mobius! Sleet the Coyote! With bunny ears!"

"I hate you, hedgehog," the coyote informed him, but that just made Sonic laugh even more.

"Right," Tails said slowly, and ducked out of his friend's hands to fly up and start breaking the locks. "Sorry about him. He's been trying really hard to take this castle seriously and I think it's finally gotten to him."

"Hmph."

"If you're a bounty hunter from Mobius, what are you doing out here?" he asked, trying to ignore the cackling hedgehog behind him. It was surprisingly difficult, mostly because it wasn't really a common sight.

"As your leader well knows, I am no longer welcome on Mobian soil," he said irritably. His eyes stayed fixed on Tails' hands though, watching every loosened screw. "And missing children tend to have well-paying parents."

"Oh… why aren't you welcome on Mobian soil? I mean, if you don't mind me ask-"

"I need the ears," Sonic interrupted, and he jumped up to snatch them off Sleet's head an instant before Tails managed to get one of the coyote's hands free. Sleet clawed at him furiously, but Sonic was already on the other side of the room, using a dark window to view how the ears looked. He grinned. "These are just awesomely stupid. Tails, we need to find a way to get these on Knuckles. No! Shadow! Oh, man, best idea ever."

Tails sighed and ignored him, working on the second lock. "So how do you two know each other? Or was it just one of those Sonic-stops-the-bad-guy-and-you-get-rescued things?"

"Well, I definitely stopped a bad guy," said Sonic.

"And people were rescued," Sleet agreed. "I was not one of them."

"Oh, was this when you were with the Resistance?" Tails asked curiously, but his glance at Sonic had to be short-lived due to the fact Sonic now arranging the ears a little more artistically and Tails just couldn't take the silliness on top of the bright blue castle they were inside. He went back to the lock and Sleet. "Did you fight in the war?"

"Yes…" he said slowly. "I was something of a major player in that last year."

"And now you're a bounty hunter? That's so cool," Tails said cheerfully. If he'd been looking closer, he would have noticed Sleet giving Sonic a disbelieving glance, or seen Sonic's smirking reply, but he was too focussed on the lock. Despite its complexity, it was gold, inlaid with carvings of happy bunnies and flickies. He frowned. "I understand that if you're trying to stop her or rescue the people she kidnapped, Witch Madella would lock you up, but why does she do the other things? What's with the pink, and the cute, and the… everything?"

"Because they're so way past lame they're cool," Sonic said decisively, tilting his head to better appreciate the way he'd positioned one ear to flop down over his eye. "I mean: dude, these things fit perfectly over my ears. I look like a hedge-rabbit!"

"I see the last few years have only worsened your mental defects," observed Sleet.

"Sonic! I'm asking a serious question here," said Tails, as he managed to spring the last lock and Sleet dropped to the ground.

Sonic glanced at the bounty hunter, then refocussed on Tails. "A _serious_ question? In a blue castle made of what I'm seriously beginning to suspect is hardened sugar? Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, the castle I get, because… well, sugar or not, it's a castle. And the monsters with the candy canes or whatever are still guards," he said, ticking them off on his fingers. "But why the bow? Why give your prisoners bunny ears?"

"Because it's demeaning," Sleet replied irritably. "It's a form of torture designed to affect your prisoners' mental state."

"I don't know if Witch Madella is that cruel," Tails said thoughtfully. "It's just… it's pointless."

"Egh. A little from column A, a little from column B," Sonic said, moving over to stand beside him, resting his arm on Tails' shoulder. "Didn't you hear her rant before? The most beautiful things in the world are the most useless. She gives everything a cutesy look to make it fit the surroundings – fit in and be part of her world. It's pretty—to her, at least—and it won't interfere because it's become part of her castle."

"I… guess that makes sense," he said, though his eyes stayed on Sonic's new ears. "So… why are _you_ wearing them?"

"Dude, I have saved the world looking awesome a million times," he said, and dramatically flicked one of the ears. "But never this darn cute."

"I suddenly remember why I personally needed to shoot you," Sleet murmured, touching his forehead, but Tails just continued staring at his friend.

"You… you're going to… keep them?"

"Heck yeah. Give her some of her own medicine: she was ranting about how cute stuff isn't taken seriously? Let's see her deal with me when I'm downright adorable."

"But…" Tails winced, trying to remember why he looked up to this person. "You're wearing velveteen rabbit ears."

"Velveteen _bunny_ ears," he corrected firmly.

"You look ridiculous," Sleet added, and Sonic smirked without looking at him.

"I look like I belong here, and that makes it that much easier for me to tear it down."

They both stared at him silently for a few moments, before Sleet suddenly ripped the bow from his neck and threw it at them. "The greatest Empire this world has ever known was brought down by a hedgehog in rabbit ears. I'm glad I was exiled."

"Bunny ears," Sonic corrected again, and Sleet sneered.

"If you find the children, feel free to keep my reward. I have to go find my dignity in the trash heap again."

"Good luck with that!" he called, and then turned back to Tails with an assessing eye. "You, little buddy, need tail bows."

"What."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't think I'm very good at humour, but _damn_ I enjoy writing it!


	38. Only the Shallow know Themselves

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

Only the Shallow know themselves

**DISCLAIMER**: This is the story that I was having heaps of trouble with until Ghost helped me out. Thanks again!

* * *

"You'd really want to live forever?"

Shadow tilted his head slightly to better see the crowd. He didn't know why he was here – he hated clubs, and he loathed Rouge's dance club. But where Sonic went, trouble followed, and Rouge liked her money-making scheme. So when she'd mentioned Sonic and his friends would be stopping by, Shadow decided it would be better for everyone if he kept an eye on the 'hero'.

But nothing had gone wrong in two hours, and now the group were sitting around one of the tables, eating the terrible food that Club Diamonte served and talking about… philosophy. Or something. He hadn't been paying attention until now.

Amy shook her head as she reached past Sonic for a wedge. "Not really. But I totally get wanting everyone young and beautiful forever. Would you really want to get old and decrepit?"

"I'm gonna get old, but I'll never be decrepit," announced Sonic. "I'm still gonna be breaking the sound barrier at fifty!"

"Along with your hip," Tails added, and he laughed.

"Shadow might live forever," Amy said thoughtfully. He leaned over, intrigued by the topic of himself, and even more so when he saw the sad smile on her face. "I guess that's the only reason I'd want the world to go on forever… so he wouldn't have to be alone."

"Don't you worry about that," Sonic said cheerfully. "If I know Shads, he's going down in a blaze of glory. Fireworks and everything."

"Remind me who this Shadow guy is?" the armadillo asked. He was a stranger, but he and a little yellow squirrel had come in with Sonic, and were therefore just as annoying as the rest of them, even if the squirrel never seemed to talk and the armadillo spent most of his time teasing Sonic. "Isn't he the hedgehog everyone thought was you?"

"Yup. Oh, man, I love this song! Be right back, have to dance."

"Sonic, wait up!"

Shadow frowned, pulling back into the darkness as Amy hurried out after the blue blur. But he looked around as Rouge sauntered up beside him, folding her arms with a smirk.

"You know, you could spy on them just as easily by actually going over there and talking to them," she pointed out. "It might make you look a little less creepy to my patrons, too."

"As if I care about these mindless creatures and what they pretend to think," he snapped, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Little touchy, aren't we?"

He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out and looked around at her. He wasn't the type to apologise, but he could occasionally explain his actions. To Rouge. Sometimes. "They were talking about me."

"Oh?"

"That blue hedgehog… he claims to know me," he said irritably. "Knows me well enough to say how I'll choose to end my life."

She blinked, shifting her weight in surprise. "Well, now there's a depressing subject. What on earth brought that one up?"

"Does it matter? Who is he to say I'll die in a blaze of glory, rather than last an eternity alone? How would he know what I'd prefer when I don't even…" He cut himself off, then let out another breath and shook his head. "He sounds so confident of things he doesn't know."

"Maybe he does. I don't know about you, but I never know what's going through that spiny blue head," she said, and lifted a hand to her chin in thought. "But I'll agree with him on this. I can't see you wandering the earth alone for the centuries. You're too fond of drama."

He glared at her, but she just winked.

"Only the shallow know themselves, Shadow," she said playfully. "I would know. So someone like you, with so many layers, would be best off taking advice on themself from someone else."

He just continued glaring at her, though this time it was more clearly for show than out of irritation, and she nudged him with her hip.

"The kids are a little ridiculous, but they're not always wrong. Deep down under everything, hero or not, I know you're a good person. You'll go on protecting things until you can't anymore." Her smile turned soft, even as she began moving away. "Someone like you could never really be alone. No matter how much you try."

He frowned, but she was already gone, sliding into the booth beside Tails to introduce herself to the newcomers. Shadow looked over to the dance floor, where Sonic was drawing an audience, and then onto Amy, who looked exasperated, but was enjoying herself regardless.

And, a little out of defiance, stayed where he was.

Alone.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

Emo Shadow is emo.


	39. Are we all insane? Or is just me?

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

Are we all insane? Or is it just me?

**DISCLAIMER**: This is the last of the original-villain chapters, I swear. I just enjoy making them…!

* * *

"Oh… oh, ow…" Tails slowly pushed himself to his knees, rubbing his forehead and wincing at the bright light through what he suspected was his concussion. He didn't remember getting into any accidents…

"Hm? Mm…" Knuckles' grunting was enough for him to turn his head and see the echidna lying nearby, apparently woken by Tails' murmurs and trying to push himself onto his elbows. "What… this isn't my island…"

"Knuckles?"

"Tails…"

"Oh, you're awake. How you guys feelin'?"

They looked around to see Sonic standing a few feet away, looking at them over his shoulder with his hands on his hips. Tails shrugged with a helpless grimace. "My head's still attached. That's always a plus."

"What crazy mess have you got me in this time, Hedgehog?" Knuckles snapped, but Sonic just turned away again.

"Dunno yet. But I'm gettin' crazy fictional vibes. Either of you ever read anything with furniture on the ceiling?"

"What?"

Tails lifted his head, Knuckles leaned back to see what was above them, and Tails' concussion let him know his stomach was not up to the sensation of vertigo just now. He groaned and lifted the other hand to his head to allow him to appreciate the fact that… well… actually, judging from the doors and decor… _they_ were upside-down.

"When we get out of this, Hedgehog, I will be pummelling you for this," Knuckles said, and stood up, folding his arms over his chest. "I've told you I don't want any part of your stupid adventures."

"Hey, I didn't ask for this!" he snapped back. "I don't even know where we are yet."

"Like it matters. Freaky stuff just –"

"Come now!" a voice boomed, and all three of them looked up to see a very large, mist-trailing figure slip up out of the floor like a shadow. Whatever it was, it was clearly the source of the voice and probably their predicament. "No need to let your fear cause an argument."

"It's not fear, it's annoyance," Knuckles muttered.

"And we don't exactly need a reason to argue," Sonic added, but the figure didn't seem to have noticed either of them.

"Now, I know what you're all thinking: Are we all insane? Or is it just me? Am I upside-down, or has the world gone topsy-turvey? But concern yourselves not with such trivialities as the way you know the world to work. We are not in your world anymore, and here, the laws of physics are my playthings."

Tails groaned again. A monologuer. Fantastic. Just what his concussion needed.

"I have heard on the cosmic waves that the three of you are this world's greatest heroes, a team to rival the gods' wills. And I do so love to challenge the gods. And so I have locked you in here, my world, my labyrinth, my test, to see how –"

"Oh, dude, I know where we are now!" Sonic cried, and the rest of them blinked, suddenly realising he was no longer beside Knuckles, but sitting on the underside of the table above them, reading the tag of a little bottle that he waved at them. "That Alice story! See? It's even got the 'Drink me' bottle! Anyone know how the big scary guy fits into that?"

"Never read it," Knuckles confessed.

"How dare you!" the figure roared, lashing out a shadow-coated arm that Sonic dodged by just dropping back down to the ceiling. "I have created this world purely from my own imaginings! You shall fear me!"

"No offence, sir, but you probably picked the wrong people for that," noted Tails. "And lack of gravity doesn't really bother people who tend to… well… we all kind of defy gravity every day."

"I do?" Knuckles asked, and Sonic snorted.

"Dude, even if you could call it gliding, your dreads are so not big enough to do that."

"Hm. Tails?"

"Physically speaking, my tails don't spin fast enough to lift me up," Tails explained. "Given my weight, I'd have to spin them a good –"

"_Enough_!" the figure screeched, and Sonic huffed, tapping his foot.

"What do you want from us, evil guy? You're not attacking us, and you sure as heck aren't saying anything interesting enough to hold our attention," he pointed out. "Blah, blah, blah, you're heroes, blah, blah, I'm evil, blah, blah, blah, tests to prove yourself, blah. We've heard it before, so can we get on with it already?"

"You want me to attack? Fine! I will attack!" it shouted.

Two minutes and several trashed ink-monsters later, Tails could have sworn that if the figure had eyes or a mouth it would be gaping. Sonic brushed paint from his quills and Knuckles stretched his arm behind his head.

"Much as I hate getting dragged into your adventures, I do like the exercise," he said, and Sonic grinned.

"There you go! See, I knew you liked me!"

"Y-y-you were lucky that time!" the figure announced, and then disappeared in a whirlwind of shadow, its voice echoing in the darkness. "But you will die here in my labyrinth! That I promise you."

"Blah, blah, crazy villain, blah," Sonic finished, and then turned to help Tails to his feet. "We might not be insane, but it's becoming pretty obvious that it comes with the evil."

"Well, yeah," he said, already looking for a switch of some kind to revert gravity. There was _always_ a switch. "It's kind of a prerequisite. Haven't you learned anything from Eggman?"

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	40. I brake for no one!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"I brake for no one!"

**DISCLAIMER**: Concussion line…? Really? -scratches head- which one? He had a couple…

* * *

"Jet, I appreciate that I am crazy awesome, and so you feel like you need to do stupid stuff to catch my attention, but have you ever heard of a phone?"

Jet's eye twitched, and he glared down at the ground, where Sonic was running backwards, his hands behind his head as he easily kept pace with the fastest air gear ever built. "What makes you think I'd ever want _your_ attention?"

Sonic's eyes flicked to the emerald in Jet's hands, and the fact that they were in the Mystic Ruins, where Sonic's little friend lived, who had, in fact, _hidden_ the emerald there, was entirely left unspoken. They also didn't need to point out that Jet didn't have any particular need for the emeralds, since he wasn't able to use them personally, and emeralds were too big to power air gear effectively.

"Call it a hunch. By the way, you might want to think about braking soon."

"Brake?" he repeated, and laughed. "I brake for no one!"

"I really think it's a good idea," he advised.

"Yeah, well, let me show you what I think of your good ideas!" he said, and poured on the speed, leaving Sonic behind in seconds. He grinned back at the hedgehog, then looked forward, and immediately lost his smile. "Oh, crud."

If he hadn't sped up, he probably could have tilted his board and just flown up the wall. As it was, however, all he could do was yank his air gear vertical and slam it against the cliff-face, where the momentum immediately bounced back and threw both him and his board all the way back to where Sonic was now standing with his arms folded and a smirk on his face.

"Another option would've been to just to look where you're going. Thanks for this, by the way," he said, plucking the emerald out of Jet's twitching fingers and folding his arms again. "So yeah – what do you want?"

"Ughhh…"

"Oh, don't be such a baby, Big Bird," he said, kicking him gently. "I slam into walls like that face-first all the time. Going way faster than you."

"I'm not a freak of nature," he groaned, but rolled onto his side and then struggled to his feet to glare at him woozily.

Sonic just smirked right back. "Freak I may be, but it comes with one gorgeous bod', and so I'll take the trade-off. Seriously, though, Jet, what d'you want?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard?" he demanded, shrugging off his remaining dizziness like it was nothing. "There's another Grand Prix next month. It's time for a rematch, and this time I'm going to beat you!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Seriously man: phones. Way easier than stealing stuff from my friends."

"This time, there's no way I'm letting you escape!" he announced. "This time, I'll prove I'm the fastest, and you'll have to kiss my boots!"

"First of all, no, and second of all, ew," he said, and lifted a hand in farewell as he turned away. "We've done this twice before, Jet, and it's getting old. Land, air or wherever, I'm still faster."

"Land or air, maybe," Jet agreed, "but I heard about something you can't do. Swim."

That stopped him. Very slowly, Sonic turned his head to glare over his shoulder, and Jet grinned triumphantly.

"This isn't just a race – it's a real challenge against the elements! You board, trick, crush and _swim_. Finally, a fair playing field where you can't cheat your way to a win!"

"_Me_, cheat?" he yelled, spinning around with spines and hackles raised. "There were explosives on my gear! Your teammates tried to _kill_ mine!"

"Hah! All I hear are excuses!" he crowed. "I never did any of that myself! Your red friend was the one to beat up Storm!"

"Totally deserved _and_ he asked for it," he snapped, folding his arms again. "Forget it, Jet. I'm not putting my friends in danger just to prove you'll never measure up to me."

"Fine! I guess the rumours are true, then," he said, beak curling into a nastier grin. "One word that water's there and you run for the hills. Coward."

"What did you call me?"

He leaned forward, flaring his arms out so his wings could expand. "C-O-W-A-R-D. Coward. Chicken. Ba-bawk!"

Sonic hissed in a breath, but after a few moments just let it out again, lifting a hand to point at him. "I can take on you—and water—any day of the week. But this time it's gotta be fair, you hear me? You and your friends go after mine and you and me are gonna be doing a lot more than racing."

"Hah! I'd still have you eating dirt," he said, and walked back to toss his board into the air and leap onto it. "Wave'll send your little friend the details. See you there, coward!"

Message delivered and Sonic riled up, Jet took off into the sky, inwardly playing Sonic's expressions over in his head. This was the best part of racing, these days…

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

I suspect Free Riders isn't strictly canon—or at least I hope it's not—when Sonic swims in his first race. If it is, I'm saying he's mostly being blown by the current. I like my blue hedgehogs to sink like rocks in water, thank you… /fanrage


	41. It's about time this world goes up

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"It's about time that this world goes up in flames."

**DISCLAIMER**: This one is one of those chapters that I liked the idea of, because I still think the best bits of Underground are what you don't see, but the execution… not so much. Oh well. It only really matters what _you_ think, right?

* * *

It was going to be easy. All too easy.

He'd heard rumours of Mobius – almost every human had. Magical talking animals with special powers that came in every size and shape. It sounded like something out of a storybook, but enough travellers had come back with stories or pictures that you learned to believe.

But he never would have suspected just how much potential they had.

He smirked down at the newborns, touching one of the medallions so it caught the light. Mobians were amazing creatures. So much raw energy… a single human could power a car for a day. A single ordinary mobian could power a house for a month.

"And thanks to you, my little blue friend, it's going to all too easy to take control of that," he whispered.

It was wonderfully typical of Aleena to worry about this child. Her 'visions' saw chaos growing within him, and Robotnik would admit his energy readings of the child were already astounding, but he saw no reason for her to have panicked the way she did. Even now, she was concerned only with keeping him contained.

That was why he had brought the Anarchy Beryl, and shaped them for the children to wear. Legend had it that the silver mineral could control chaos energy, making it safe for people to use and abuse as needed. In the meantime, it was keeping the little tyke's energy nice and stunted, so Aleena thought he was doing wonders.

Or, at least, she had. He wasn't sure when—probably when that acidic anteater left the city—but Aleena had stopped trusting him. He was almost certain, now, that she knew what he was up to.

But it was too late. He already had the aristocrats on his side. She'd seen to that.

"She's building a what?"

"A monument to art," Niles Mink had said, rolling his eyes. "So that future generations will know of its magic."

"While the poor quarter runs rampant?" Robotnik had made a show of frowning in disapproval. "Surely she plans to address that before something so frivolous."

"Of course not. Why, if she had her way, the thieves would be running this city, don't you know."

"She should show them their place – make them into something that would benefit society," he said, visions of robotocised mobians dancing in his eyes. "I thought the woman was a prophet, but she has no vision for the future!"

"You have the right of it, sir."

Even now, she built monuments to art and magic, while the scientists scrimped and saved to make do. The aristocrats, with all their money and power, loved to complain about the way things were run, and she was just making it so painfully easy to pander to them. To make them love him.

When the revolution came, he would stand at the ready, proud, triumphant, and more powerful than she could dream of being. They wouldn't even notice he had taken control until they all lived in fear of him.

"And it's all because of you," he told the blue child, poking its chubby cheek. "You'll make a prize battery, my little friend."

"You run riot in my city, Doctor, but I will not have you threaten my children."

He slowly straightened and turned, smiling pleasantly at Aleena's glare. "Your majesty. How ironic that you should find fault with my actions, given that you brought me here to keep your child restrained."

"I brought you here to save us all. And spirits save me, even knowing as I do now, I would do it once more," she said, and raised her hand in something vaguely threatening. "But you will remove yourself from my children's bedside this instant."

Patience was a virtue, and he wouldn't have to have it for long. He raised both hands and stepped back, allowing her to hurry past him and peer into the cot before turning back to glare at him again.

"The revolution is coming, Aleena," he said, amused by her proud anger. "You have already lost this battle."

"Time will overcome."

"Time?" he repeated. "My dear Aleena, that is a promise your funny animal body cannot keep."

She twitched at the slight, but lifted her chin defiantly. "Overlanders may live longer, but I have power and visions you can only dream of. They tell me my children will not only defy you – they will _decimate_ you."

"Oh, your visions tell you that, do they?" he sneered. "The same visions that saw your son destroy cities and turn into hideous creatures? The visions that brought me here to tame the child you claim will decimate me? Forgive me if I remain steadfast in the face of my doom."

"I have made my mistakes, and I live with the consequences, as so shall you." Her hand reached back to rest on her children, gathering strength from her faith in them. "In bringing you here, I have doomed my reign and saved my world. My kingdom shall prevail."

"Oh, dear, dear me… Let me explain how revolutions work, your highness. The peasantry storm the palace, and the royalty dies," he said cheerfully. "Even should the royal heirs survive the battle, they are locked up to die in secrecy. Or, if the rabble feels generous, the babes are thrown to the winds and raised as ignorant children of the revolution. _If_ your children live through this, Aleena, they'll never know their birthright, and I assure you, they'll never know _you_."

"I'll remind you which of us is a seer, Doctor. You speak as if I will wait for you," she snapped. "I am no ship's captain, and I have no honour left to fall with my kingdom. Admitting an overlander to my court robbed me of that long ago."

"Ah, so you'll cut and run?" he surmised. "Leave Mobius in my hands?"

"For the time being," she said, but although she'd clearly tried to make it righteous and defiant, her voice cracked, and Robotnik smiled before turning and leaving her to her dignity.

Three weeks later, he gazed out over the sea of aristocrats that were now accepting him as their regent, queen still alive or not. Ha. _Regent_…

"S-s-sire," a small wheedling voice called, and he peered over his shoulder to the shaking page behind him. The boy swallowed hard, glancing over his shoulder before saying, "the r- r- ro-"

"The robotocisor?" he prompted.

"Yes, sire… it – it's ready," he said, and this time, Robotnik couldn't help his broad, triumphant smile.

"Well then, bring it out and let us show these fine people what they've put their faith in," he said, and pressed his fingertips together, gazing back out over the sheep. "It's about time that this world goes up in flames."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

And yes, I did steal the phrase 'Anarchy Beryl' from Archie. Completely different context, but hey, Sonic's a prince and wouldn't bow to royalty even if he wasn't. I think we've moved on, don't you?


	42. I won't let anything happen to you

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

I won't let anything happen to you

**DISCLAIMER**: Okay, so here's the thing. Back-story is great. Except in one-shots. In which the practical relationship between Sonic, Anarchy Beryl and Chaos is kind of implied, because it would be boring to go into in a one-shot. Ipso facto therefore, I suspect this is going to be confusing… Oh well!

* * *

It was a big, hulking monstrosity that might have been called a ship ten years ago. It didn't look capable of holding the twenty people they were planning on sticking in it, let alone lift off and fly them home again.

And considering they were going to be flying over the Mobian Sea, Sonic was a little…

"Are you sure you can fly this thing?" Manic asked Sonia, as Sonic twitched.

"Of course I can!" She slapped the bulkhead, and Sonic cringed as it made the actually visible engine shudder. "This baby could get us all the way around the world and back!"

"It's just… sure, okay, sis," Manic said slowly. "But is it gonna get back here in one piece?"

"Oh. Well, that's another question," she admitted, and Sonic made a very small noise that was definitely not a whimper. She smirked and slung an arm around his shoulder, dragging him closer to the hunk of junk. "Oh, Sonic, you just have to trust me! I won't let anything happen to you!"

* * *

When the big, hulking monstrosity went down, they were all just grateful it went down over an island. Yes, it crashed and literally burned, and not even Sonic got out uninjured, but they survived and the island did not require them to swim.

Also, Manic's thieving eyes gleamed as he took in the beautiful, huge, incredibly random gold rings that were floating everywhere. His smile lessened a little when Sonic snatched one before he could.

"Sweet," Sonic stated, swinging it around his wrist until it vanished from sight. Manic had to look twice.

"Wh- how – where did it go?"

"The ring?" he asked, and then flipped his wrist, and the ring appeared back in his hand. "What, you think your pack's the only thing with subspace? Man, I thought thieves would be all up on that trick."

"You have so gotta teach me how to do that!"

Intrigued, Sonia stepped up as well. "What are they?"

"Power rings," he said, tossing it to her. She frowned at the feel of it; it felt sort of not-there and tingly… and it glowed from the inside, like Knuckles' chaos emeralds. Sonic picked up another and frowned at the burn on his arm. "But I'm not sure if these are the real deal. They usually heal you up way past fast."

"Maybe it's the medallion," Manic said, pointing to the hotly glowing metal on Sonic's chest. "Two things trying to protect you at once and all that."

"That'd figure," he said, and then, to his siblings' horror, he ripped the medallion off and twisted his wrist until it disappeared as well.

"Sonic!"

"Oh, chillax," he said, but smiled as the burn began to heal, skin stitching together and fur regrowing as if nothing had happened. The ring slowly disappeared, and Sonic began collecting more of them. "Oh, baby, baby, daddy missed you, you beautiful things…"

"And now, I am officially weirded out," Sonia stated, and Manic nodded.

"Totally freaky."

"Sonic, put your medallion back on," she said, folding her arms under her chest. "Robotnik knows we're out here, and we have to protect these people! If you're not –"

She was cut off by the familiar sounds of one of Robotnik's hovercrafts. It was still in the distance, but there was no mistaking that sound, and both she and Manic exchanged panicked glances. "Sonic!"

"Mmhmm?"

They pulled off their medallions and called on the instruments. As they'd half-expected, without Sonic wearing his, the magic was slow to respond, and it took Sonia several tries to make her keyboard shift into its gun form.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that," Sonic said vaguely, and turned to grin in the direction of the hover-sound. "Don't you worry none, sibs. With all these power rings? I can _promise_ I won't let anything happen to you."

* * *

The really disturbing thing, Manic noted when they were back in the safe house that night, was that Sonic had held true to his word. Nothing had been able to touch them, on the island.

He'd just been _everywhere_, putting himself in harm's way without a second thought, because even when he got hit, as long as Sonic had a ring, he just healed up straight away. It wasn't until Sleet and Dingo had showed up, and Sonic had been on the wrong side of the fight to defend one of the people they were supposed to be rescuing, that he had to give up the strategy.

He'd yanked out his medallion and called on the guitar, blasting Dingo no problem, but hadn't used any more power rings afterward, and had been pretty much silent ever since.

Now they were home, he was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, looking vaguely like death warmed up.

"Hey, man," Manic said as he sat down beside him, offering a mug. "You feelin' okay?"

"Well, _that's_ a dumb question."

"Yeah, but it's a standard one. Drink?" he said, offering again, and Sonic looked up, but grimaced and shook his head.

"Don't think I could stomach it, man."

"What's up? You never get sick," he said, looking blankly at the two mugs. Sonia had shoved them at him and told him to check on their brother, but he wasn't sure what to do if Sonic wasn't going to drink one of them.

"You ever run into a wall at three hundred miles an hour?"

He looked up from the mugs, and Sonic peeked out from behind one hand to see his blunt look. He grinned, then winced and went back to his pain.

"Well I have. And it's nothing on this."

"You were kinda doin' the suicide dance today," he pointed out, and Sonic lifted one finger in a way he never could have if Sonia had been in the room.

"I had power rings. No pain, no harm, no foul."

"Yeah, but it's catchin' up."

"Nah. That's not how the rings work," he said. "Man… I shoulda put the medallion away and kept grabbin' rings. This _sucks_…!"

"Hey, I'm glad you didn't. Soon as you started usin' your guitar again, my powers went _psycho_! It was totally jammin'!" he cheered. "And did you see Sonia's spin? And those lasers she was blastin', it was like, so past awesome."

"Oh, yeah, great," he deadpanned. "You guys rock out, I wanna be knocked out. Fair trade we made."

He just grinned. Sonic didn't rhyme when he was really upset, and besides – Sonic's guitar had blasted three bots in one shot. Sure, Manic wasn't the one feeling the pain, but he'd gladly trade the power they'd used today over those power rings and their _really_ limited invincibility.

"Man, I feel like I'm gonna be out flat for a week!" Sonic groaned, and finally pushed himself back into the couch, closing his eyes and sinking into the cushions. "This is so way past lame."

"Ah, don't stress about it, bro. You got me and Sonia to look after you!" he said cheerfully, and shoved one of the mugs into Sonic's hand. "Relax while you rest up. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Yay," he deadpanned, but drank up anyway.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

And yes, again, I did forget what day it was…


	43. If it means protecting you

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"If it means protecting you, I'll do whatever is necessary."

**DISCLAIMER**: Ah. See, Underground comes after Sonic's met and fallen madly in love with rings and chaos energy (which is kept tightly reigned in with the Anarchy Beryl, if you remember). Does that help at all? Moving on – another prompt I was a little 'meh' about…

* * *

It had been a bad day.

They'd been helping the Resistance raid a mansion on the edge of the city, which only Manic felt even mildly comfortable with. The argument was that since this particular aristocrat not only paid Robotnik's tithes but voluntarily _helped_ him, she had officially declared herself the enemy and was therefore open to having her stuff taken away.

It was the kind of reasoning that made Sonic go stiff and quiet, and Sonia had been right there with him, until she'd seen how many robotocised servants the aristocrat had on staff.

"It's sick," she muttered, yanking priceless coats from the closet and tossing them in Manic's bag. "One, for appearances when Robotnik pays a visit, yes, I'll accept that. But sixteen? What do you do with sixteen servants anyway?"

"I dunno, sis'. Whaddaya do with one?" Manic asked teasingly.

Sonia scoffed and continued ranting, but Manic's attention slipped away as the door behind them opened, and one of the servants appeared. It took him a second glance, but the bag fell from lifeless fingers the moment he recognised what he was looking at.

It was—it had once been—the head of the thieves' guild.

Farrell.

"Manic? Manic, are you listening?" Sonia turned to see what had caught his attention and frowned. "Manic?"

"That's…" He swallowed hard. "That's my… that's… Farrell."

She flinched and looked again. She'd never met Manic's foster-father (or whatever role he thought Farrell had in his life), but they'd traded so many stories that she felt like she knew him. He'd been a proud, gruff man, street-smart and firm. Manic had worshipped him a little.

And now, here he was, mostly cyborg and cleaning up the mud Manic's sneakers had tracked across the floor.

"Oh, Manic…"

Sonia had never felt anything as horrible as the day she saw the robotocised Lady Windemere. It had hurt, and hurt even more when she found out there was no way to get her back. No derobotocisor, no permanent restore of their memories and minds.

"We… we could get Sonic," Sonia offered quietly. "You could have a goodbye."

Manic's fists clenched, but he didn't answer straight away, and Sonia thought she might know why.

With the power of the medallions, they could bring the robotocised back for a few minutes… but that was it. Just a few minutes. Just long enough for you to know they weren't really gone, but that you weren't getting them back.

"Let's just go," he whispered, and turned, tying off his bag with an efficiency that made her think he was working on auto-pilot. "Let's just lock him in here and go."

"Okay," she whispered, and waited until they had shut the door behind them to draw her brother into a hug.

He sobbed into her shoulder.

* * *

That night, Manic drummed his way through a song that, if he'd been putting magic into it, could have levelled the city. Sonia sat on the couch with her arms around her legs, crying along with him.

She'd told Sonic about what happened, but he had seemed more uncomfortable with the knowledge than anything, and made himself scarce along with the rest of the Resistance, while Sonia took Manic home. But he'd appeared in the doorway at some point, and now watched in silence as the sticks eventually fell to the floor, and Manic hit the drums with his fists instead, over and over again, until he collapsed on top of them, gulping down air.

Sonia pushed her tears away and looked to Sonic, who met her gaze for a split second before looking back at their brother.

"The last thing he ever said to me…" Manic whispered shakily, "He asked me if I was okay. He – Farrell didn't ask that kinda stuff. 'Always look out for number one. Trust number two to take care of himself'. That was his rule. But he asked if I was okay. And I just blew him off. I blew him off like it was nothing."

"It was nothing," Sonic said bluntly. "He didn't mean anything special by it, Manic."

"Sonic!" Sonia hissed, horrified, but he ignored her as Manic looked up.

"He never –"

"You were his kid," he said. "Looking out for you was what he did. He woulda asked the same thing any other day."

"I blew him off," he said stubbornly, and shoved a hand over his face and into his hair. "I – I shouldn't'a left him today, either."

"Oh, Manic," Sonia whispered. "We can only bring them back for five minutes at most. You know that."

He just shook his head, pounding the heels of his palms against his cheekbones as if that would stop the tears. Sonia looked to Sonic again, and he shifted uncomfortably, before pushing off the doorframe.

"My father was my hero," he said awkwardly, and even Manic froze, shocked out of his tears for a moment by the comment.

It wasn't just that this was the first time they'd heard Sonic talk about a father – around the resistance as they were, it was impossible for them not to know about his uncle Chuck, and that was all they thought he'd ever had. It wasn't just the idea of Sonic having a hero, when he always seemed too cool and arrogant to admire anyone.

It was the fact he was _telling_ them.

Sonic never talked about his past. Even when it was staring him in the face and their lives depended on him dealing with it, Sonic would double-talk and do everything in his power to avoid it. And usually got away with it, too.

And now, he kept going. "He was a carpenter. Real good with an axe and a dagger, but he had this rule that every drop of blood you spilled should be your own," he said, shifting his weight and not looking at them. "It's why he and Mother never joined the Resistance, even though they supported it. Because robots or no, they knew one day they'd have to hurt people, and that wasn't cool, to them."

The excess of information had them both hypnotised, tears forgotten in lieu of Sonic's awkward confession.

"When I was like, what, five? I got too close to a Venom Python," he continued. "It was about to bite me when Father lopped its head clean off. All those years tellin' me to respect life, to never hurt anything, to live in peace, and he goes and chops the head off a python. Freaked me right out, I tell ya."

His eyes flicked to Manic and then away again. "Later, he said 'if it means protecting you, I'll do whatever is necessary. I'll take up my axe and slaughter the woods that give us life, if it would extend yours a day.' Had a thing for the melodrama, y'know. But, hey, point."

Manic blinked rapidly, his brow furrowing as he tried to follow, but it was Sonia to point out, "He broke his own rule for you."

"Yeah. Because I was his one and only kid," he said with a weak smirk, but he didn't look at them. "It's a family thing, I figure. You do a lot of stuff you normally wouldn't, for family."

"Like Farrell looking out for Manic," Sonia surmised, and Manic blinked again, then lowered his eyes to his drums.

"Yeah…" Sonic cleared his throat. "But it's not something special. It's not somethin' you think about, y'know? It's somethin' you've gotta do, so you do it. Think it comes with the love thing."

Manic slowly reached down to pick up his sticks again, running them through his fingers. "I should've taken the five minutes to say goodbye."

"Yeah, maybe," Sonic said vaguely. "Or maybe he would just spend the five minutes askin' why you haven't worked out how to fix him."

"Sonic!" Sonia snapped again, but Manic shook his head with a weak laugh.

"Nah, he's right. S'prolly what the old man'd do." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "Why haven't we worked out how to fix them?"

Sonic's voice was oddly flat as he answered, "Because we don't want to take the risk of being wrong. While they're robotocised, they still have a chance to be made mobian again. We take some stupid risk and we just might end up making things worse."

"What's worse than robotocised?" asked Sonia.

"Red and Amber Rat."

"Who?"

He didn't look at her or answer, taking a deep breath as he walked toward Manic. "Family protect each other. The hard thing is that when you're a kid, you don't realise you want to protect anyone until you've already failed. And there is nothin' in this world or the next that can make up for the fact that we all failed. Especially not bringing them back just to say 'yeah, sorry man, we're still workin' on it'."

Manic looked up at him silently, and he pulled back a little, apparently aware of how harsh that last part had sounded. He sighed and tried again, leaning over the drum kit.

"I can't make it better. Neither can you, lil' bro. But we did get a second chance. We got a whole new family to protect, and this time, we know how to do it. We can protect each other."

"We can find Mother," Manic murmured, and Sonic nodded once.

"It won't make it better. But it helps."

And the really weird thing was… it did.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

If you're wondering why I only posted once this week, it's because even though I've finished writing, the above still applies. If I haven't written something in at least a week, I can't post. And it took me until pretty much just now to finish what I was working on. Sonic was way easier to write for…


	44. I won't have you hating me

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

I won't have you hating me

**DISCLAIMER**: Omigawd this has an actual time setting. Like, specific-like. It's set in the Underground episode "Wedding Bell Blues". Okay, so, picture this: Robotnik announces he's going to marry Aleena. The siblings know it's a trap, but—being idiot heroes—decide to check it out anyway in case she's being forced into it. Naturally, it blows up in their faces and Sonia gets kidnapped. Robotnik blackmails her into letting him adopt her and proclaim herself heir to the throne, officially making him regent (not that they say that specifically, but it's basically what would happen in real life, give or take a few details). Manic dresses in drag, Aleena shows up to say "To hell with Robotnik!" and Sonic saves the day in time for the siblings to realise that really was their mother and they let her get away. Again. Status Quo is God.

* * *

Never before had a gilded cage looked so blatantly repulsive.

Sonia sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. She was doing the right thing. And if she wasn't, somehow her brothers—or her mother—would find a way to save her. That's how these things worked.

But honestly, Robotropolis was a disgusting sight at the best of times, let alone when she was slapped in leg irons under her dress and being blackmailed.

"Ahh, my beautiful daughter," a voice purred, and she glared off to the side because she refused to give him the satisfaction of her turning. "Enjoying the sight of your new kingdom?"

"I'm not your daughter," she snapped as Robotnik moved up beside her. "Not yet, anyway."

"My words exactly," he said. He folded his hands over his stomach and smiled like the cat with the canary. "Really, Princess Sonia, you should be _pleased_. This never could have happened without me."

"No kidding," she snarled, and went back to glaring out over the city. "My brothers –"

"Are entirely beside the point at this stage," he said. "While my motivations are somewhat dependent on my present scheme, I'll admit, the timing is entirely not of my design. The law is set. Your mother has not made a public appearance in twelve years, and she has precisely four hours before she officially surrenders the throne."

Sonia glanced at him quickly, but he just gave her a mild smile in return. It was an old law, made back in the early days of Revalt's reign when he was still a war-ravaged recluse. It had been twelve _days_, but his descendents had extended the limit when adventure and war pulled them away from the throne room. But Robotnik took what he could.

"So either your mother appears and announces herself continuing ruler of this city—" he began, and Sonia snorted.

"And you capture her and force her to marry you."

"Quite," he agreed. "—or one of the royal triplets must declare themselves heir to the throne with appropriate guardianship. You are still all children, after all."

"I had my debutante," she shot back, but he just continued to smile.

"Rather short-lived, and unofficial, though it was."

It was a little hard to give him the glare he deserved without looking at him, but she couldn't bring herself to turn around. She wasn't like Sonic, who could look Robotnik in the eye with a grin – she'd been raised her whole life to fear and worship him from afar. The best she could do was give him defiant glares for a few seconds before running away.

And, she reminded herself with a short tug at her chains, that wasn't really an option at this point.

"Now, now, Princess, I won't have you hating me," he said, reaching out to slip a finger under her chin in a sleazy pretence of affection. "We are soon to be family, after all."

"In name only." She pulled herself away and folded her arms around herself. "I'll do everything I can to ruin you. I'll help my brothers into the castle and they'll destroy you!"

"My dear, you'll be in a single room, with portable robotocising units on every wall," he said pleasantly. "I doubt you'll be able to do much but cry all day. If it makes you feel better, I'll gift you a piano, and you can pretend to be as powerful as you think you are now."

Her fingers dug into her arms. "If I had my medallion –"

"Oh, believe me, child, I will be returning it to you when all is said and done," he said, and she had to glance at him for that one. His smile was a little too dark and knowing for what he was offering. "Not that I think it will do much good to _you_, but we wouldn't want your brothers to lose access to those annoying little instruments of theirs, now, would we?"

"What? Why would you –"

"Now, now, that's my little secret," he said, and placed his hands on her shoulders, bending down slightly to manage it.

She could feel her fur standing on end at the contact, and wished she had Sonic's razor-sharp spines to stab him with. But all the shampoo she lathered them with meant they bent against his flab, as useless as the hair flopping into her face.

"Now, princess, take your last look at the city. You won't see it again until you ascend to the throne with my death, and, we must remember," he added, bending further to whisper in her ear, "mobians have such short, inconsequential lives. So… you would be best served committing this to memory… you won't be seeing it again."

"Sonic will stop you," she hissed, and he chuckled.

"And doom his mother's reign. The sister or the mother, I wonder which he'll choose," he murmured, and then let her go, turning away to head back into the palace. "Long live the monarchy, Princess."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

-cough-CHEATERLeDIZ-cough- Close enough.


	45. I won't hurt you, unless you want me to

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

I won't hurt you, unless you want me to.

**DISCLAIMER**: I liked writing this chapter. I like how it came out. I don't really like the way I ended it…

* * *

"Yoohoo! Sonic!"

To be fair to the boy, she'd yelled out just as he was about to win chicken with a rollercoaster, but it was still pretty hilarious to see him trip and then have to cartwheel, flip and stumble past a train full of screaming humans, yelling apologies and swearing the whole way. She dropped down to fly alongside him as he kept running.

"Little busy here, Rouge," he said irritably, and she turned around to see the heat seeking missile tearing past the train.

"Oh… and are you doing anything _aside_ from fleeing, today?" she asked, and he smirked.

"Nah, I'm trying to cut back on the excitement. Tails says it's bad for my blood pressure," he quipped. "This is just a little exercise Eggman cooked up to keep me tight."

"Oh, well, if that's all it is," she said, and pulled out a flare. "Think you can take a day out of your fitness regime?"

He pretended to think about it. "I can probably afford it."

"Well then. Please stop running," she said, and he immediately flipped, turning to the side so his run turned into a grind as she lit the flare. The missile came closer, but Rouge only waited until it definitely had a lock before throwing the flare at the canyon wall, and the missile obediently followed. By the time it hit, Sonic had slowed to a stop, and whistled appreciatively at the explosion.

"Nice."

"I try."

He put his hands on his hips and turned to look at her with a vaguely confused smile. "So whadda I owe the favour? I tick off GUN again?"

"No. But you can buy me coffee," she said cheerfully. "I have something I want to discuss with you."

"Well okay. But I should warn you: Amy tends to get kinda ticked when I date other girls," he joked, and then flipped off the tracks, easily dropping the two stories and disappearing into the crowd. She followed after, watching the parting sea of people to know where he was, and landed just as he opened the door to the carnival diner. "This okay, or were you thinking up market?"

"Hmm… better make it coffee and pie to be safe. We have to make sure the price is worth your life."

"Equivalent exchange for the win," he said, and bowed her past before following her over to a quiet booth in the corner. He waved down a waiter and checked they took rings before they ordered, then leaned back in the booth and spread his hands expectantly. "So is this where I find out I just sold my soul for a flare, or what?"

"Not your soul, but I'll admit it may be more than you bargained for," she said. "I was doing a little casual hacking of the GUN database—you know, making sure they weren't planning to stick my partner in stasis or anything—when I came across an interesting little titbit. Turns out the President's been talking to Queen Aleena."

"Oh yeah," he said mildly, his brow furrowing. "That's… cool, I guess?"

"Not particularly, and it's not the point. What is the point is the background check that he had done before he talked to her. You've been to Mobius, right?"

He gave her a blunt look, and she didn't blame him. Asking a mobian if they'd ever been to Mobius, even this far into human territory, was a stupid question, especially when the mobian was a world-traveller that jogged at the speed of sound. She smiled dryly. "Let me rephrase: have you been to Mobius since Robotnik became Eggman?"

"Once or twice," he said with a shrug. "Haven't been back to Robotropolis, if that's what you're asking."

"Mobotropolis, these days," she corrected. "They renamed it again after the war."

"Still a big dump of polluted garbage, I bet," he said lightly, and she nodded.

"From all reports and despite the royals' best intentions, it seems so. Which brings me to my point: the royals. The background check did a nice little profile on Queen Aleena's court."

He gestured for her to continue, smiling distractedly as the waiter brought their order. He was clearly more interested in the danishes that had been brought along with his tea than her report, and she sighed. Boys and their stomachs…

"Do you know that the royal children still haven't been introduced to society? Even in the background check, they weren't given names," she said, nodding to the waiter as he poured her coffee and moved away. "They're just the Thief Prince, the Princess of the Rebellion—"

"Real original titles. Whoever came up with those deserves a prize."

"—and the Lost Prince," she finished. "Seems Aleena is missing a son."

"Cryin' shame, it is," he said, then paused and looked at her. "What, is there some kind of reward or something?"

"No, unfortunately. The queen doesn't seem all too concerned about the prodigal son," she said, folding her hands under her chin. "GUN, however, is."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Politics. Eggman. Problems surrounding the human enslavement of the mobian race for thirteen years…"

"Uhh…?"

"They want to find the son so they can give him back to Mobius as compensation," she explained patiently. "The theory is that if they can do that, Mobius will be so grateful that when they inevitably become powerful enough to enter the world stage again, they won't use their scary powers—and more importantly, their omnipotent hedgehogs—to enslave the human race in return."

"Yeah, because us blaming humans for everything Eggman does makes so much sense!" he said, and then laughed, picking up a danish to wave at her. "You tell them how crazy they sound?"

"Not so crazy, if the rumours from Mobius are true. You have to remember how isolated those people are. As far as they know, all humans are the same."

"Oh yeah, I remember," he said, nodding slowly. "The overlander menace. Scary stuff."

She shrugged, pulling out a folder and a worn, rolled up poster. "The thing is, no one knows who the Lost Prince is, and Aleena isn't exactly forthcoming on the subject of her children. Until they're declared adults, she won't say a word about them, and she's not going to declare them adults until the Lost Prince returns."

"You're kidding," he said. "Thought you said she didn't care about where he was."

"I'm not sure she actually wants her kids to grow up," she said. "I'm pretty sure he's an excuse."

He snorted and sat back in the booth again, picking up his tea in one hand and gesturing toward her with the other. "So, what's your angle? I'm sure you know other mobians if you just want to share hometown gossip."

"GUN want the prince, but don't know how to find him. But, you see, their problem is that they haven't asked _me_," she said, and tossed the folder on the table between them, flipping it open to show the photo inside.

It was a security image, fuzzy and snapped from above, of two hedgehogs. One red with pink quills and hair, one green. The pink was beautiful and elegant, draped in slinky finery with her quills braided back with her hair. The green was muscled for a hedgehog, dressed in work gloves and jeans. Sonic raised an eyebrow at Rouge.

"The Prince and Princess?"

"And they say you're not smart," she teased, but nodded as she sipped at her coffee. "This is the only non-sanctioned image GUN could get of the known royal children, because they're being paranoid and won't ask any mobians for help."

"Which is stupid. There's enough anti-royalists around they'd have no problems recruiting people like you," he said, grinning behind his cup. "So, you gonna tell me you've figured something out from this little bit of candid camera?"

"As a matter of fact," she said, and held out the rolled up poster. "I was a drifter when I was fifteen. Coming and going from Mobius all the time. On one trip back to the old neighbourhood, I happened to go to a club and catch one of the illegal concerts."

Sonic had been drinking, which was probably the only reason she noticed him start slightly. She smirked as he coughed, and tapped the poster against his shoulder until he snatched it.

"I got myself a souvenir while I was there. Have a look-see."

"Do I have to? I'm not big on memory lane."

"Humour me."

He rolled his eyes but put down his cup and spread out the poster, even being so helpful as to put it right beside the security photo. The Sonic Underground stared back at them, the lead guitarist slamming his way through a power chord as he grinned defiantly at Sonic's wry grimace.

"Like, oh my god," Rouge deadpanned, smirking through her tone. "Would you, like, autograph this for me?"

"Sorry, Rouge, one fangirl is enough," he drawled, and sighed at the picture. "Man, I looked heavy back then."

"If it makes you feel better, I read a magazine the other day that was worried about how thin you looked at the second Grand Prix. You're setting a horrible example for the children," she said, and then tapped the poster. "Now, you probably know where I'm going with this, but the second I saw that photo, I thought of this poster. The kids here are a little younger, and not nearly as pretty, but be darned if the prince and princess don't look an awful lot like rock stars."

Sonic picked up his danish and chewed it lazily, just waiting for her to finish.

"And then I remembered, the Sonic Underground weren't just musicians. They were freedom fighters, and—get this—siblings. So, if my math is correct, running on the assumption that the Thief Prince is Manic Hedgehog, and the Princess of the Rebellion is Sonia Hedgehog, then that would mean that the Lost Prince is _Sonic_ Hedgehog!"

"Ta dah," he drawled, spreading his hand in lacklustre show. "Congratulations, you can use logic. So was the tea drugged, or the danish?"

"Now, now, my dear princeling, I won't hurt you, unless you want me to," she added with a leer, then picked up her coffee and sat back. "Besides, there are at least three reasons why I wouldn't drug you. One, you're stupidly heavy for a supposedly anorexic hedgehog and there's no way I could drag you back to GUN. Two, I would have assumed you'd eat chilli dogs and drink soda, not tea and danishes, you weird teenage boy, so I would have poisoned the wrong food. Three, I've done my homework and know your metabolism burns off poison so fast I'd have to drug you like an elephant and I am not wasting my money on that pointless endeavour."

He considered that for a moment, then nodded and saluted her with the tea. "Respect, girlfriend."

"You don't seem concerned that I know your secret."

"Mostly 'cause I'm not," he said simply. "It wasn't much of a secret. Like you said, back in the day everyone knew who we were. And I'm not scared of GUN."

"It doesn't bother you to know that you could start or end a war?" she asked.

"Rouge," he said, leaning forward a little, "Don't know if you noticed, but a couple months ago, Eggman used my energy to nearly end the _world_. Bigger fish, way bigger picture. What does kinda bug me is why you care. If you aren't going to sell me out, what difference does it make who I am?"

"Well, honestly, I thought it would be a bigger deal," she said, pouting slightly. "I thought I'd at least get some blackmail out of this. But if you really don't care, that's no fun at all."

He shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint. I'll still pay for the coffee, if it helps."

"Darn straight you will. You owe me for the flare."

He laughed as she finally picked up her fork and pulled her pie close. Sonic ordered another tea and they sat in companionable silence for a few minutes until she pointed her fork at him.

"The mobians don't seem to know much about you. They honestly think you're missing. There's a theory that Robotnik killed you in the final battle and Aleena's just covering it up."

"Wow. Eggman went hardcore," he said, and shrugged. "Dunno why. I've been back."

"Have you talked to your family?"

"Nah."

She tilted her head, intrigued, but he just smirked and shook his head. "You're the spy, Rouge. You figure it out."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	46. You never understood me!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

"You never understood me. You never really tried."

**DISCLAIMER**: Plot? What is this plot you accuse me of having? But nah, it's been there the whole way through! Just last chapter was a little more blatant than usual…

* * *

Sonic shook his head as he swallowed, and said, "Nah, it's not the tinkering, man. I like your inventions; I get worried when you're not making them."

"So then what are you complaining about?" Tails asked with a laugh, pointing his shish-kabob at Sonic's face. "How do you expect me to tinker if I –"

"Mr Sonic!" a high voice called, and they both paused to look around. "Mr Tails!"

As they watched, none other than Cream the Rabbit pushed her way through the crowd, smiling broadly and wearily followed by her harassed-looking mother. The boys both smiled, and Sonic raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey Cream, Vanilla. Long time no see!"

"Hello, Mr Sonic!" Cream chirped. "What are you two doing here?"

"Oh, you know," Tails smiled at Sonic from the corner of his eye. They'd just finished trashing Eggman's 'amusement park' and were making their slow and—quite honestly—meandering way back to the Mystic Ruins. "We're just wandering around."

"Oh, Mr Sonic," Vanilla said as she finally caught up with her daughter. "Are you alright?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Your wounds…"

He blinked again, then looked down at himself, and Tails leaned back a little to try and see what she'd noticed. Sure enough, there were quite a few small cuts just visible under the fur, bad enough to stain the blue purple, and Tails winced. He'd noticed them after they said goodbye to the wisps—they were the result of Sonic running at his very top speed with space debris flying past even faster—but he'd expected them to heal up after Sonic got some rest. He'd kind of forgotten about them, and from the look on Sonic's face, so had he.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My body's just been relying on a different kind of energy for the last day or so. Haven't had time to go back to the tried and true ring healing." He shrugged and set his hand on his hip, glancing around the village. "Is this where you live? We haven't really been looking where we're going."

"Yes, and I insist you come home with us for a visit," she said, moving up beside him to gently take his arm. "Let me patch you up."

"Aw, that's not –"

"You can tell us all about your adventures!" Cream said excitedly, grabbing Tails' arm too. "And you can try the cake I made – all by myself!"

"Oh, well, if there's cake involved…!" Tails joked, and bit off the last of his shish-kabob. "C'mon, Sonic! We've got time."

"Heck yeah! I mean, cake is cake!"

* * *

Vanilla's house was warm and comforting, filled with pillows and beautifully carved wooden furniture. Like a lot of the homes rabbits tended to build, it was also small and split into sections, so that by closing doors, you were usually completely cut off from the rest of the house.

Which was why Sonic was vaguely surprised when Cream shut the kitchen door behind her as she dragged Tails off to play, effectively trapping Sonic and Vanilla inside. "That seemed kinda pointy."

"Hm? Oh, yes, well, Cream isn't speaking to me at the moment," Vanilla said with a smile, as she pulled the first aid kit from the cupboard. "So I must confess an ulterior motive for bringing you here. Walking around the market with an unresponsive daughter was rather tedious."

"_Cream's_ not speaking to you?" he repeated incredulously. He didn't think the sweet little bunny was capable of being sullen.

"It seems children grow up faster every generation," she said. "She's in quite a hurry to be an adult, with all associated rights. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I fear her friendship with Amy Rose and yourself is not helping matters, either."

Sonic tilted his head, and Vanilla shrugged as she pulled her chair close enough to begin mending the cuts on his cheek. "There's a party in town on Friday to celebrate the new harvest. Children usually weave flower capes and take part in the maypole dances, while the young adults celebrate with a bonfire dance after dark. I expected Cream to take part in the former, while she expected to join the latter."

"Ahhh… old enough to save the world, she should be old enough to dance with a boy?" he asked, and she met his knowing smile with one of her own.

"Yes. And, without meaning to offend or imply anything, Mr Sonic, I expect you know the ah… rather _adult_ activities that tend to result from bonfire dances…?"

He blushed and looked away, smiling a little helplessly. "I… might have an idea."

With delicate grace, she pretended not to notice his embarrassment, continuing briskly. "I'm sure you can well imagine why I don't think it's appropriate for Cream to be attending such an event."

"Well, I dunno about you, and I don't usually stay for the… after party," he said awkwardly. It was hard thinking about that stuff while Vanilla was in the same room, let alone being all maternal. "But I'd still be kinda creeped out if I saw a six year old at one of those things."

"Exactly. But, well, as capable as my daughter has proven herself, she is still naive in the ways of adult relationships. I believe she sees Miss Amy kissing your cheek as the height of romance," she said, biting back another smile when it made Sonic's cheeks redden again. "I must admit to being… reluctant to explain the rest of the process."

"Worst conversation of my life," he said sympathetically. "And Tails was smart enough to figure out most of it on his own. He just got stuck on the inter-species thing, and explaining that was so beyond weird…"

She met his gaze for a moment, considering, then went back to wrapping a bandage up his arm. "With all of this in mind, I'm afraid the only reason I could give her for not going was her age, and…"

"Lemme guess," he said with a grin. "'You never understood me! You never really tried!'"

Only the fact it was Vanilla, who was too elegant and sweet for that, kept the noise she made from being a snort. "Ah, you could have been there yourself! Memories of your own rebellious years?"

"Memories?" he repeated. "I'm still goin' through 'em!"

She chuckled, shaking her head, and he smiled. "But nah. That particular line's from my sister. She always wanted to go to these fancy balls when we couldn't let her."

She paused again, even pulling her hands back as she looked at him. "You have a sister?"

"Yeah," he said vaguely, his tone silently asking to redirect the conversation again, and she hesitated but obliged.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how to handle it. Cream's always been such a good girl, and very mature. And she handles herself so well on her adventures…" She sighed as she finished the wounds on his chest and knelt on the floor. Sonic almost immediately joined her, moving his legs for better reach without him having to be above her. She smiled at the accommodation but didn't comment. "I don't suppose you have any suggestions?"

"Me?"

"With Tails," she said, smiling again. "How do you handle this sort of thing?"

"Uh…" He blinked, then grimaced and shook his head. "It's not the same thing. I'm not like, _raising_ Tails or anything – I only had The Talk with him because he happened to walk in when I was making out… um… yeah."

Again, she took pity on him and didn't comment, though her smile seemed a little harder to hide, this time.

"An' besides, it's never been a problem of telling Tails not to go somewhere. At the moment, it's the other way around. When I'm not there, all he does is sit in his workshop all day and never talk to anyone. I'm tryin' to convince him to get out and live a little."

"But you're still talking, which is more than I can say after attempting to convince Cream of anything," she pointed out, and he tilted his head in thought.

"Yeah, I guess… I… Well, look. Generally, when I tell Tails to do something, he knows I've got a reason. Like when I was on his case about not eating properly – he knows that I know firsthand what not eating regularly can do to you." He sat back on his hands with a vague shrug. "Even when I don't go into details, he knows that I've been there, and that I know better."

She considered that for a moment, taping the last of his cuts closed, and then sat back with her hands in her lap. "So perhaps I simply need to make Cream see that I _do_ understand where she's coming from?"

"Yeah, probably. At the moment, she probably thinks you're just underestimating her or something," he said. "Way I figure it, the worst that'll happen is that she does what my sister did and goes anyway. She'll either get freaked out before she sees something really bad, or—since this is a safe village—she'll get kicked out before she sees anything at all."

She frowned, obviously disliking the risk, and he lifted one hand toward her.

"If you like, I could come back here for the festival," he offered. "Keep an eye on her."

For a moment, Vanilla shifted uncertainly. It looked like she wanted to take him up on the offer, but at the same time, she either didn't want to put him out, or her parental pride wanted to handle it alone. He grinned.

"Hey, I love me a good party, Vanilla. In a village like this, there's bound to be good food, and if you're anything to go by, the people'll be great."

"I…"

"It's just an offer to help out. I'm not sayin' you'll need me around at all," he said, putting his hand back and giving her a dry smile instead. "You're an awesome mom, Vanilla. Just do what comes natural and everything'll work out fine."

She blinked at that one, her gaze becoming sharp and amused as she looked at him directly again. "Are you giving me a pep talk, Mr Sonic?"

"Hey, just be glad you don't have a husband, or I'd be ranting about the power of teamwork. I've been told I get kinda obnoxious," he said with a grin, and then bounced to his feet, extending his hand again to help her up. "You'll be fine, Vanilla. Cream'll make her mistakes and you'll pick up the pieces. No dramas. And if you need a hand, just give a shout and I'll come running."

"Oh, Mr Sonic," she said fondly. "You are altogether too sweet for someone so heroic."

"I try," he said cheerfully, and she leaned forward to kiss his cheek, just to see him blush again. He chuckled, ducking his head away. "Hey, c'mon, you're gonna ruin my tough guy reputation here!"

She just laughed and let him go. "And we wouldn't want that now."

"So long as we understand each other," he said firmly, and winked when she laughed.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

In truth, though, while I do have several attempts at a long story, it's never really gotten anywhere, because I need to have adventure in my stories these days and… well… I'm honestly not that good at it. So I stall. But we'll see. Maybe chapter 50 will be filled with demands for a plot-driven multi-chapter and I'll be filled with inspiration.

Or not. Either way!


	47. God, I love you!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

God, I love you!

**DISCLAIMER**: I feel this one requires back story. Maeri-Su is a recurring character of mine. She has very long, multi-coloured hair and a very beautiful 'soul' – which of course means she has huge breasts. She also tends to make main characters nervous. Now, as always when Su is concerned, I blame this whole story on Jkateel, and you can direct your complaints to her.

* * *

As the Sonic Underground, spokesband of the Resistance, there was a certain kind of music they tended to play, and it had become such a part of who they were that even when it was the magic bubbling up in obscure moments, they sang accordingly. It was pop, or country, or reggae, and always—_always_—cheesy.

Now, Sonic didn't have a problem with cheese. Cheese was easy, and it made people smile. In the middle of Robotnik's city, in the darkest moments of the war, people needed cheese.

But if he was playing for himself, alone or with Manic, he tended more toward rock, fast or slow, with heavier chords and a stronger beat. It was the same with his siblings. When she was on her own, Sonia's music was very melodious, a little harder on the keys and much gentler on the vocals. Manic tended to be metal; preferring big, almost operatic sounds led by crashing beats and cymbals. One thing Manic had noticed, and only made the mistake of mentioning once, was that they all tended to sing a lot better when magic and the Resistance weren't involved.

But whether they did or not, the songs weren't sweet, or hopeful, and tended more toward desperate defiance than confidence. The songs were often confused, or about a life and world they couldn't have. In other words, they didn't do anything for the Resistance.

So instead, they played the cheese, and laughed at themselves as they did, Sonic hamming it up with the microphone, Manic and Sonia looking as dramatic as they could manage during their songs, and all three of them sliding together for particularly corny parts.

Some of the fans, they knew, got the joke.

Most of them didn't.

Sonic was humming one of Sonia's private songs under his breath as he unhooked the sound gear from the stage, completely preoccupied, so it took him a few seconds to notice the bright red heels in front of him.

When he did, he raised an eyebrow at them first, then slowly looked up at the mixe standing over him, and blinked.

"Oh, my god," she said, and extended a hand toward him, as if to hold him back. "Oh my god!"

"I answer better to Sonic," he said, and she squealed, bunching up her hands.

"Oh my god, he talked to me!"

He paused, glancing around as he wondered who she was supposed to be talking to, if not him, and then stood up. "Yeah. I tend to do that. Call it a bad habit."

She just continued to squeal, and he took the moment to look at her. Judging by the ears and tail, she had a fair amount of fox in her, but her face had that strange, unpeaceable look that mixes tended to have after a few generations. Her eyes were cat-like, and her hair fell in long, multi-coloured waves, which was kind of unusual and made him assume skunk. Or Magic Pony. Whichever.

"Hi!" She said finally, and grabbed his hand in both of her own. "I'm Su! Maeri-Su. I'm like, your biggest fan!"

"Uh…" He blinked again. Her chest jiggled as she talked. Even for him, who didn't usually notice that sort of thing, it was kind of distracting. "Cool. Good to meet you – thanks for comin' out tonight. We know it was a bit of a risk with the raids."

"Oh, no way I'd let some silly thing like the threat of robotocisation or death get in the way of me seeing you perform!" she cried, and yanked his hand a little closer, making him stumble. "I mean, God, I love you! I wouldn't miss one of your concerts for the world!"

"Uh, yeah, thanks," he said, and tried to pull his hand free, but it was stuck. He grimaced and glanced around for his siblings. Ego and half-faked narcissism aside, he didn't really do so well with fans. "We try and make them great."

"Oh, they are. And they really speak to me. Not only as a loyal Resistance member, but as a lonely, orphan girl and budding musician myself. The talent you show in every single song, it's just awe inspiring."

"Budding musician? You play music?" he asked, pausing his escape for a second. "What instrument?"

"Oh, well, you know, there's the guitar, of course—bass, mostly—but also the flute, and the harp," she said. "But my great passion is singing. I've been told I'm like an angel."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, intrigued. It wasn't like they could take on a vocalist, but things he couldn't do always interested him, and he knew his voice didn't lend itself to melody. "Maybe you should start doing concerts yourself! Harps and angels go well together, y'know, and we could always use more music in the world."

"No, no, I couldn't do that. Not on my own. I'm way too shy!" She giggled, yanking his hand again, and her short-lived appeal vanished as the pain rattled up his arm.

"Oh, well, that's too bad. But hey, thanks again for coming out. I'm sure my sibs'd love to –"

"Really, it was no trouble at all," she said, and pushed closer, her eyes suddenly all large and sparkling. He leaned back, caught by the intensity, and she fluttered her eyelashes. "It's my passion to see you sing. And you know, something I want more than anything is to make beautiful music with you."

"Uh…" Normally, Sonic's mind didn't like the gutter. He had been told, by numerous people, that he was a little oblivious in that area. Well, actually, almost all areas of emotion, but being a teenage guy, he'd been told that particular area was the weird thing. And yet, for some reason, when she said 'beautiful music', his mind flew straight to the gutter and that jiggling chest. "Um."

"Yes?" she prompted. "Do you think that's… at all… a possibility?"

Wow, she was close. He blinked rapidly, his cheeks heating despite his best intentions. "I… I um…"

"Yo, Sonic!"

He flinched and spun around, but with his arm still caught and Su so close, he ended up twisted in his own limbs and balanced rather precariously on the sides of his feet. "Manic."

"Hey," he said, but paused half-way up the stage stairs to look at them. He visibly bit back a smile. "Who's your friend?"

"Uh. I. Um."

Su abruptly let go of Sonic's hand, taking away his anchor and making him crash to the floor. She didn't notice, however, covering her face with both hands. "Oh, my god! This is so embarrassing!"

Luckily, Sonia had been following behind Manic, and soon passed him to survey the scene with bored eyes. She raised an eyebrow at the giggling girl, and her blushing brother on the floor, then sighed.

"I can't believe this. We give you one job to do, Sonic. It's your own equipment, it should've taken you two seconds to do," she said. "Actually, since it's you, it should have taken you two microseconds. Aren't you ready to go yet?"

"I don't know anymore…" Sonic murmured, and Manic snickered.

"Of course you don't," she said, and walked over, nodding politely to Su before reaching down to snatch Sonic's arm and haul him to his feet. He gave her a pleading look, and she mentally filed the whole situation away for later blackmail use before shoving him toward Manic. "Let me handle this."

"Oh, but –" Su began, but Sonia turned to her, schooling her features into the simpering smile she usually gave Bartleby.

"Hi! Thanks for coming out. It really means a lot to us. Say, could you do us a massive favour? Sonic would really appreciate it," she said, clasping her hands to her chest.

Su brightened, clapping her hands. "I'd do anything for Sonic!"

"That's fantastic!" she said, and pointed to the sound equipment at their feet. "Do you think you could put all that away for him? He seems a little under the weather, and I don't know if he'll be able to manage it on his own. Okay? Thanks so much! Bye!"

And with that, she turned on her heel, grabbed Sonic's shoulders and marched him off the stage.

"I… that… what?" he managed, and she sighed again.

"Honestly, Sonic. Can't you spot a trap?"

"I dunno, sis'," Manic teased as they headed out. "She looked pretty real to me. Beautiful soul shinin' through that skimpy shirt of hers…"

Sonic made a strange noise in the back of his throat that usually meant they needed to spend a lot of time on a boat. Manic's grin widened, and Sonia rolled her eyes.

"Definitely a trap."

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._


	48. No one is that cruel!

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

No one is that cruel.

**DISCLAIMER**: I have done absolutely no writing this week. So I'm cheating again. But considering the meta that was the last chapter, I'm giving myself a break for lulz.

* * *

Sonic paused, considering, and then lowered his head and silently began ticking off his fingers. After the sixth, he looked up to ask, "Does disc jockeying count?"

"I think so," Tails said, and he went back to counting.

Eventually he stopped, his eyes narrowed as he thought about it, then nodded. "Twelve. Though, I mean, if you're gonna be really fair, at least half of 'em are from the same family, so… general idea an' all."

"How did you have time to learn?" he asked incredulously, and Sonic shrugged.

"Came kinda naturally, most of the time. I had the hardest time with the trumpet, but in hindsight I've got no idea why I learned it, and disc jockeying is kinda more of a personal thing, but most of the others, it was like the basics were programmed in," he said, miming a gun against his head. "The guitar I just picked up when I was eight and knew back to front, but I figure that I'd been playing lutes and ukuleles for years, so whatever."

Tails frowned at him curiously, then tapped the keys of the piano in front of them. It had been there when they found the abandoned bomb shelter they built his workshop on top of, and Sonic had since found and stored a bunch of other instruments down there too, regardless of the fact Tails used the space for his chaos radiation experiments.

"Are you good at most of them?"

"Yeah," he said, and for once there was no arrogance or pride. It was just a fact. "If Buttnik wasn't around, I'd probably still be famous as a musician."

"So how come you don't play that often?"

He shrugged again. "S'not who I am anymore. Why? Want a concert?"

For a second, Tails' fanboy tendencies rose, ever impressed by everything Sonic did. But since that big fight with Chaos, Tails had been a bit more confident with himself, and less enthusiastic about Sonic's talents, and he'd found that Sonic had actually started to tell him more because of it. He hesitated another second, then looked away, feigning disinterest.

"If you wanted to play something, sure…"

Sonic snorted, obviously seeing right through it, but gestured grandly to the instruments. "Whatever, dude. Pick your poison."

He snapped back to front with a grin, his eyes raking over the collection. For a moment, he considered the guitar, but just as quickly moved on. He'd actually seen Sonic play that before, so it wouldn't be as fun. There were a couple of guitar-like things he didn't know the name of, and figured they were probably 'lutes', whatever they were. The idea of the Great Sonic the Hedgehog playing a piccolo was hilarious, but, eventually, proximity made him look down, where his hand was still resting on the piano, and he nodded. "This."

"Seriously should have asked for the DJ," Sonic advised him, but reached over to pull the instruments lying on the case off and to the side. "But whatever works for you. Got a song in mind?"

"No, I don't actually know a lot of music," he said honestly, and Sonic nodded.

"So whatever, then. Okay… watch me work, Sonia," he muttered as he sat down. Tails blinked, wondering if that was supposed to be some goddess of music or something, but Sonic ignored the look as he cracked his knuckles. He put his hands on the keys, let out a long breath, and began playing… Mary Had a Little Lamb.

After picking himself up out of his facefault, Tails whacked Sonic on the arm, scowling when he only snickered in response. "I thought you were serious!"

"I am, I am!" he said, laughing as he pulled Tails down on the seat beside him. "You just looked so amazed! Like I was about to do magic or something! Music ain't exactly serious business, buddy."

"_So_-nic!"

"Okay, okay, chill out. For real this time," he said, but pulled back, considering carefully before letting one finger press down. Tails opened his mouth to argue that he still wasn't taking it seriously, but Sonic cut him off with a quiet warning, "Uh-uh…"

After a moment, another key followed, and the slow start began to build into a sweet, simple tune that Tails recognised but he didn't know where from. He frowned, staring at the keys as he tried to remember, and so didn't notice Sonic smiling at him from the corner of his eye.

"I want to fly high," Tails whispered, as Sonic replayed part of the song. "So I can reach the highest of the heavens."

Those were the lyrics. How did he know the lyrics…?

He didn't listen to the radio all that often these days. Before he'd met Sonic, the radios he built were usually destroyed by other kids before he could listen to them enough to recognise music.

But it reminded him of… a lot of things, actually. Of running behind Sonic, that first year, getting to know him and being amazed someone so cool would notice him. Of travelling around on his own and building his first robot. Meeting Sonic again, all their adventures… the problem with Chaos. Fighting Robotnik all on his own, and disarming that missile, with no one else there to save him. Of Sonic's proud smile when he told him about it later.

"_Certain things I can do, and there's things that only I can do_," he sang quietly, still trying to remember how he knew the words. "_No one's alone. I wanna fly high_… Sonic, what song is this?"

He stopped playing, and the images immediately left Tails' head. He blinked as Sonic randomly stabbed at the keys before placing his other hand alongside the first and beginning a much faster, fuller song that meant nothing to Tails' ears.

"It's a song kids sing to themselves," he said with a wink. "All about believing in yourself."

"Who wrote it?"

"Nah – written's the wrong word. It just kinda… came into being," he said, and Tails frowned.

"Like a folk song? It's so old no one remembers?"

"Nnno… think it's about eight years old," he said. "But I don't think the creator's big on the spotlight thing, so… you know. It's just out there."

Tails looked up at him, and he smiled back before refocussing on the keys. He really was good at it, and it was almost distracting, but that song had just been so familiar…

"So why the sudden interest in my epic musical abilities?" Sonic asked abruptly. "Thinkin' about some kind of musical weapon to burst the Eggman's eardrums?"

"Fight Robotnik with music? Hah! Ooh, maybe I'll hook your guitar up to a loudspeaker, give you a microphone and you can rock him into submission!"

Sonic looked at him sideways, finishing off the song with a flourish, and Tails grinned.

"Nah, I couldn't subject him to your singing. No one is that cruel!"

"Hey! You haven't even heard me sing!" he cried, and Tails raised his eyebrows in a horrible parody of innocence.

"Oh, so that _was_ a dying cat in the shower this morning? Wow, I feel terrible for ignoring it."

"You're doing a lousy job of baiting me, dude," he said, and slammed the piano cover shut, rising to his feet to lean on it. "Since you've forgotten, I was in Station Square this morning. I only showed up here a few hours ago. Your joke fails."

"Oh." He frowned, considering, then looked up hopefully. "Maybe if you sang for me –"

"Lost y'chance, little buddy," he advised, and used Tails' head as a balance as he hopped over the stool, then scrubbed at the hair beneath his palm just to be obnoxious. "Should've stroked the ego when I was playin' tunes. Now I'm headin' out to South Island and ain't ever gonna play for you again. Cryin' shame, it is."

"Aw, hey, c'mon! You were awesome! Fantastic! Angels have nothing on your voice and you should prove it so I can make that joke at a later date!"

"Bye, Tails," he said, and headed up the stairs with a private grin because there was no way he could explain it to Tails.

Going after Eggman with music. _Such_ a novel idea.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

…cheesy character song was cheesy…


	49. You look gorgeous

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

You look gorgeous

**DISCLAIMER**: Okay, I'm gonna say it, because I realise I've been ragging on it a lot lately and it's been given the wrong impression. For the _time_ and the style of music, Sonic wasn't that bad a vocalist in Underground. He wasn't amazing, but he was at least around the same level as Crush 40. I can guarantee you that if they remade the series (HAH!) and didn't get Crush 40 to do said songs, the Underground would sound somewhere between Bowling for Soup at their most angsty and Green Day at their cheesiest. We're talking a mashup of "Why don't I miss you" and "The Grouch", here.

…oh, god, that would be weird…

* * *

From all the stories, Mobotropolis had been a daytime city. Beautiful in the sun's rays, with greenery everywhere and gold that glittered as you walked by.

Robotropolis had its own kind of beauty, at night. When it was all lit by the city lights and the shadows drowned the dirt and rubbish. It was only during the day that you realised how disgusting it was.

They'd have a hard time cleaning it up.

Sonic narrowed his eyes, shifting uncomfortably where he leaned against the window. It was a nasty thought.

He wasn't sure why, because if you'd asked him yesterday, he would have been all for cleaning up Robotropolis. Heck, he would've pulled on a hazmat suit and run around the city scooping things up in a whirlwind all on his own.

But now it was a nasty thought.

"Yo, Sonic… Whatchya lookin' at, bro?"

He didn't turn his head, but watched from the corner of his eye as Manic stepped up beside him. He shrugged his free shoulder. "Thinkin' about everything we've gotta do."

"Man… we only kicked Buttnik outta here yesterday, and you're already thinking about tomorrow?" he asked, chuckling. "Whatever happened to 'live for today because tomorrow might not come'?"

"Dunno."

"Dude, relax, would ya? Tonight's all about celebration!" he said, and shoved Sonic's shoulder. "We're gonna rock _out_, and the Resistance are gonna get all up on how cool we've been, and everyone's gonna welcome back Mother… it's gonna the most way past cool party of the millennium!"

"Yeah."

He frowned, leaning back a little to look at him. "Yo, Sonic… you okay?"

Sonic looked at him for a second, then shrugged again and turned back toward the city. "We're in Robotnik's palace and we ain't smashin' things. After thirteen years of either doin' that or wantin' to, it's a bit of culture shock, y'know?"

"Yeah, but I don't think that's what's buggin' you. What's up?"

He shook his head, unable to explain what he didn't know himself. There was just something incredibly creepy about all this. He kept thinking back to the moment he let Robotnik go, and the long easy breath he drew as he watched the hovercraft disappear. It had to have been because he'd just got rid of a tyrant, right…?

"What'd you guys end up doing with the servants?" he asked, turning away from the window. "They still around?"

"Yeah… Mother said she'd deal with them, and I didn't ask how," Manic grimaced, glancing back over his shoulder at the empty hall. "Maybe she's got the power to reverse robotocisation?"

Sonic gave him a sceptical look, and Manic spread his hands.

"Hey, I said 'maybe'. I don't know what she's capable of – do you?"

"No," he said, and the attempt to change his mood immediately crashed back down on him. Something about Aleena creeped him out, too. He sighed and shoved a hand back over his quills. "Okay. Enough freaking –"

"Guys! Are you in there?"

They looked at the half-closed doorway, then glanced at each other. "Sonia?"

"Yes… I want to show you something and you have to promise not to laugh, Sonic!"

He smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "I don't make promises I can't keep, sis'. What am I gonna laugh at?"

"Sonic Hedgehog!"

"Okay, okay, I'll be good. Just come in here; yellin' at you is ruinin' my singin' chords."

"As if they could get any worse," she snarked, and he scowled. They made him front man, every time, and then complained he couldn't sing. Classy. But as usual with his siblings, he didn't comment, and Sonia's bare hand appeared through the doorway in warning. "No laughing!"

"She comes in here without any clothes on, I'm laughing, no matter what she says," Manic muttered, and Sonic snickered.

But his smile faded as Sonia stepped through the doorway. She was dressed in a long, glimmering gown that pooled around her feet as she walked. It was a pale blue, and the sleeves hung open from her elbows, but other than that it looked almost identical to the one their mother wore. Her hair was combed off to the side and kept in place by a delicate silver tiara. Put bluntly, she looked…

"Wow."

"What do you think?" she asked, twirling a little. "It's for the party tonight. Do I look like a princess?"

"Yeah," Manic said, definite. "Right royalty."

"Sonic?" she asked. "You're not laughing, which I think is a good sign…"

"You look gorgeous, Sonia," he said, and despite his quiet voice, it made her smile broader than he'd ever seen. She practically glowed under the compliment, and hurried forward to grasp his hands, pulling him away from the window.

"You really think so? I was a little worried I couldn't pull it off. It's so elegant; I've never worn anything like it!"

"It suits you perfectly," he said, and shifted them into a waltz pose. As occasionally happened around them, unplayed music reached their ears, and he swept her into a dance, twirling them so the skirt could flare around their legs a little.

"Hey, hey, leave me out, will ya?" Manic called playfully, but Sonic shot him a look as they turned.

"C'mon bro, you know I always dance with the prettiest person in the room – after me, o'course. I'll admit, that's usually you, but this time, you're outclassed."

"Ooh, low blow, bro."

Sonia giggled and leaned against Sonic's shoulder. "Thank you. Nice to know you actually can dance with a girl! But can you believe it? We're finally here! We finally did it!"

"Yeah, I know. Crazy, huh?"

"And tonight, Mother officially brings back her reign, and Mobotropolis…" She leaned back to grin at him broadly. "We can finally claim our birthright."

He couldn't quite hold her gaze. His eyes kept trailing off to the side, and Manic hummed.

"M'thinking Sonic's got post-bad guy depression, Sis'."

"What?"

"Shut up, Manic," Sonic said, and tightened his grip on Sonia, distracting her from their brother with a particularly complicated turn in their dance. "It's nothing. I'm just kinda out of it today."

"Well, you better cheer up before the party," she teased. "You're going to be the most honourable guest of honour! And you get to finally tell us what happened between you and Robotnik!"

"Oh, yeah…" he said, forcing a grin. "That's, uh… that's gonna be a story, alright."

She looked at him curiously for a moment, and then looked over to Manic, who met her gaze with a slightly worried look. There was no way around the fact Sonic was acting weird.

But Sonic just held his sister a little closer, and found his gaze drifting out the window to the horizon beyond.

And everything that was out there.

* * *

_This is a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel, who told me to stop complaining about how I can't write anything and just do it. _

_And so, at least once a week, I will write a fic based around one of the 50 phrases. I will post it, whether I like it or not (so sorry for the spam). And to further force myself, I'm going to say it will be in my head canon of Sonic Underground merged with the Sonic games, because that's a canon that's stayed with me for years, so it's not like I'll lose interest._

_I'm not actually doing it on LiveJournal because for one, I can't find the community again, and for another, I don't think I'm actually matching the rules. I just copied down the challenges once and still have it._

_No restrictions on length. It does not need to have a point. Just a story or a thought. And the phrase, of course._

_Because fanfic should be about fun, not whether it's fabulous or not._

One more and then we're done, boys and girls!


	50. This is the End

The Underground Game – a 50 Phrases collection

* * *

This is the End

**DISCLAIMER**: And the rest is silence…

* * *

When Sonic had let Robotnik leave Robotropolis, they'd made a deal.

"If you ever set foot or robot or spaceship in Mobian territory again," he'd warned, "I won't just stop you. I will send the worst of the Resistance after you and let them do everything they've been wanting to do this past year. Do you understand me?"

It hadn't been a threat – it was a promise, and at the time, Robotnik had known it. It was at least part of the reason he'd never come back to his fallen empire, despite the fact it was still ripe for takeover.

But after three years, things had changed.

"Yo, Eggman!" Sonic yelled, as he viciously kicked the last of the droids into the dirt. He slapped some dripping oil from his arm as he stalked forward and angrily pointed up at him. "What the heck do you think you're doin' here? We had a deal!"

"Why, Sonic, I thought that since you'd come home and played the Lost Prince, it was time for a reunion," he said, as pleasantly as he could manage while frantically calling for his final mecha. He'd expected Sonic to take a _little_ longer to tear through his army. "So nice to see my city again… almost just the way I left it."

"Hey, what can I say, your blubber is hard to forget," he growled.

Eggman peered down at him over the cracked windscreen. For all their banter, he did know Sonic hated him just as much as he despised the little hedgehog. Even when Sonic joked, there were moments when he'd crack his knuckles or show his teeth that reminded Eggman they were at war, and the only thing that was keeping him alive was Sonic's chaos combined with that convenient morality of his. But this time… this time, Sonic wasn't just angry.

Eggman smirked and stood up to point dramatically. "Ohhh-ho-ho-ho! Sonic! This is the end!"

"Yeah, you say that every time," he snapped. "And today, you've ticked me off enough that I'm thinkin' I might actually hold you to it."

"Oh, no, Hedgehog. I'm not talking about our little games, this time," he said, shaking his finger. "Or my life, so don't get ahead of yourself. I'm talking about _your_ life!"

"Again: you say that every time," he said, and took a threatening step forward, pointedly grinding a droid arm beneath his heel. "Don't know if you noticed, old man, but I'm kinda still breathing."

"Why threaten your breath when I've already done so much more?" he asked, and then pointed at him again. "For three years, you have lived life between two worlds! You've had no past, no responsibility; just our battle. The humans couldn't catch you, the Mobians had no idea where you were. And I, for all my grand schemes that threatened the fate of our very world, somehow went unnoticed by these unsuspecting people."

That made Sonic stop, and then look around, having completely forgotten their audience. All around, hundreds upon hundreds of people were cowering in doorways and windows, staring up at Eggman like he was the apocalypse in human form. Some of them were openly sobbing. Quite a few were hyperventilating.

"And," Eggman continued acidly, "your family had no idea what you were really capable of."

Sonic paused, as if he could avoid it, but eventually he turned to the square behind him. His mother, glaring up at Eggman in furious silence, and his siblings… staring at him… at what he'd been able to do without even trying…

He swallowed, his arms dropping to his sides in silence.

"You can't run from Mobius anymore, Sonic," Eggman said, and then laughed again. "And don't think I don't know about GUN's little endeavours here! Rouge and Shadow are somewhere here, and they will have to report back, if they haven't already! You think the humans won't care who you are?"

Sonic ignored him, still watching his siblings. Sonia had her hands pressed against her mouth; she looked like she was about to throw up, just from the sight of the shattered droids. Manic had fallen back several steps and was clearly struggling to breathe properly, his wide eyes fixed on Sonic.

They were scared.

And not just of Eggman.

After another moment, Sonic moved on, his eyes trailing over the people around him. This wasn't like the humans with Chaos – Mobians, for all their magic, didn't have humankind's blind faith that things could get better. Worse, they'd had thirteen years under Robotnik's mechanical fist, and three more of convincing themselves he was gone and they were free. He wouldn't be surprised if all of them thought Eggman just showing up meant they were all going to be robotocised for daring to enjoy life without him.

But then Sonic noticed movement, and he blinked.

Hidden in an alleyway, still dusting off bolts and oil from the robots he'd torn apart, Knuckles met his gaze, and then tilted his head in silent question.

On the other side of the street, Tails and Amy watched from behind a trashed droid, concerned, but only for him.

Far behind Eggman, almost out of sight, Sonic noticed Shadow and Rouge, sauntering calmly away from an explosion that was all that remained of Eggman's robot carrier. A glint of green told Sonic the Ultimate Lifeform had his ever-present emerald, and he hadn't put it away.

Interesting.

Sonic smiled, and looked back at his long-time enemy. "Man, am I lucky I never told people I actually saw you die. Would my face be red right now, or what?" A shadow made him look up, and then calmly take a few dozen steps back to avoid the falling mech. It landed as gracefully as Eggman's mecha ever could, and Sonic whistled. "Egg… tortoise? I'm guessing?"

"Eggpocalypse!" he corrected triumphantly, his hovercraft slipping into its usual place in… oh, heck, no matter what Eggman called it, it still looked like a giant tortoise. But Eggman ignored his look, sitting down with a smug grin. "Make your quips, boy. No matter what happens today, I have won. Your simple world has come to an end, and you will suffer the consequences!"

"And… those'll be… what, exactly?" he asked, setting his hands on his hips. Remaining cocky in front of something which had a bigger foot than your entire body always seemed an impossible task, but Sonic was used to it. He tilted his head as if he could still meet Eggman's gaze. "You think I care what GUN thinks? And what're these folks gonna do? Guilt trip me? Dude, how long have we known each other?"

"Oh-ho! So you will defy your family? Turn your back on everything you fought for three years ago?"

"Well, back then, yeah, you're right, it probably would've bothered me," he said, and then flung his hands out, reaching for energy he could feel. One by one, seven power sources sparkled in return, and he smiled, glancing over at Tails, who winked back. Sonic may have been preoccupied this past week, but his friends had been hanging around bored. He turned back to Eggman, rolling his shoulders back. "But things change. I changed. And these days, I _like_ change."

He yanked, and his friends released the emeralds they'd been holding, allowing them to hover over Sonic's outstretched hands. He smirked up at the mecha, revelling in Eggman's audible squawk of panicked surprise.

"Where did you get those? They never come onto Mobian soil!"

"With my friends, anything's possible," he said. "And I figure it's time Mobius saw exactly what it's been missin' out on."

And with that, he pulled the emeralds in, and shot into the air, gold and power exploding around him as he flew up and over the mecha, clenching his fists with a broad grin at Eggman's expression.

"Robotropolis is done, Eggman. The Empire fell, and even if I'm a prince, the thing I rule most is kicking your butt," he said, and then let his power seep out, making his voice echo across the town square so the audience had to hear as he added, "We've changed, Eggy. Let's show these people how much."

* * *

_This has been a challenge to myself, inspired by my friend Jkateel._

_Fanfic should be about fun, and it is, but sometimes motivation is hard to come by, and I (like a lot of people) am much better at telling myself I suck than risking other people telling me so._

_But sometimes in fanfic, and in life, you just have to push through and do it anyway._

_Thank you for pushing through with me. Please let me know if you'd like to see me or anything from these stories in your sandbox again!_


End file.
